Pizza vs. Taco? Salsa vs. Sriracha? America's Most Popular Foods, State By State
If you thought you knew America, you might think again after viewing the findings of the University of Arizona’s survey on the most tweeted foods by state and region. The researchers crunched 3.5 million tweets with food hashtags between October 2013 and May 2014, and the result is a detailed set of maps and graphics that if nothing else, make for some fun dinner-table conversation.
And when it comes down to what food is hashtagged most per state, the results get both predictable and head-scratching. It’s no surprise that Southern states love grits, Washington state craves halibut, and Maine’s most popular food is durian. Wait a minute … durian?! Also, New York’s most hashtagged food is “prune,” although that’s likely because of the popular Manhattan restaurant.
The researchers’ best contribution, however, was making the report interactive. You can have a field day entering your own food terms and seeing which ones win, state by state. Since I had nothing better to do, I came up with up my own food and drink battle royale, broken down by such categories as fast food, liquor, and condiments – you know, the finest things in life.
Check out our slideshow to see where your state weighs in on food.
