This year, families across the U.S. will be celebrating Thanksgiving a little differently, limiting their guest lists and trying to prevent COVID from entering their homes. But some things never change, including the traditional Thanksgiving menu of turkey with all the trimmings. When it comes to all of those tantalizing side dishes, everyone has a favorite. The website Zippia decided to look at the most popular side dish for Thanksgiving in every state and the results are eye-opening (and mouth-watering!).
“Using Google Trends, we determined what Thanksgiving side each state eats a disproportionate amount of,” said the study authors. “We examined over 20 Thanksgiving classics. Some controversial decisions were made, including counting gravy as a side.”
Checking out the map, it’s clear that those of us in the Northeast, including NJ, are partial to stuffing. (For my family, it’s not Thanksgiving if someone isn’t fluffing up the Stove Top with a fork!). As you head south, you can see there’s a growing trend of mac n’ cheese as a favorite accompaniment to the turkey. Overall, mashed potatoes were the most popular side dish, coming in as the favorite of 10 states.
Other notable faves included green bean casserole in the Midwest and rolls, rolls, so many biscuits and rolls across our great land.
Maine was an outlier with the annoyingly healthy “side salad” chosen as their top pick. Naturally, Iowa went with corn. Amazingly, only New Hampshire went for cranberry sauce as a top choice.
Overall, 47 states want their sides “carby, cheesy, potato-y and delicious,” said the study.
“We looked at the month of November 2019 to determine what folks are searching for the most in each state,” said the authors. “Traffic for most Thanksgiving sides skyrockets on Thanksgiving Day (Turns out, when you’re Googling “how to make mashed potatoes,” so is most of America).”
So is stuffing the star side dish on your Thanksgiving table? What are your favorite family dishes to make for T-Day? Tell us in the comments!
