This Map Shows Peoples’ Favorite Thanksgiving Side By State, And There’s A Lot Of Love For Mashed Potatoes
Update, November 15, 2021: Whenever the holidays roll around, debates take over the internet about which foods are the best. You've already figured out which Halloween candies reigned supreme this year, and now we have the data to know which Thanksgiving side is the favorite of each state. Be warned, some answers may surprise you!
Zippia went ahead and did the research to figure out which states are searching what side dishes this time of year. For consistency's sake, they didn't include gravy as an answer, because it's rarely eaten alone. Topping the list was mashed potatoes, with nine states claiming it as their favorite. Last year, 10 states said mashed potatoes, but the fact of the matter holds up: Americans love potatoes on Turkey Day.
Following behind is rolls, with four states claiming it as their favorite. Yes, we all love carbs at the holidays. Surprisingly, some states bravely defended glazed carrots, creamed corn, green beans, and a side salad as their favorite sides but hey, who are we to judge?! I personally prefer to just mix up all of the sides into one big pile of mush and lather it in gravy so, you do you!
Original Post, November 6, 2020: The turkey is the most iconic part of Thanksgiving dinner, and not to take away its shine or anything, but it's definitely not the BEST part of the meal. Turkey is simply an outlet for my uncle to use his fancy new electric carver and a vessel for which I can eat a ton of delicious gravy. As we all know, my friends, the meal is actually about the sides, and this year, a survey found that when it comes to our favorite ones, Americans are full of surprises.
Career site Zippia recently released a map of peoples' favorite Thanksgiving sides by state. They used Google trends to find the favorite of more than 20 traditional side dishes to see which ones won out. It's not a perfect system because every family serves something a little bit different, but it's still fun to look at!
Not surprisingly, mashed potatoes were the top choice, coming in as the favorite for 10 different states. Is it really Thanksgiving without a little mash? Mac & cheese was next as the favorite of a whopping seven different states, and thinking about this dish already makes me hungry. Some other top contenders are green bean casserole, rolls, and stuffing. Turns out people love carbs! Not exactly surprising.
This map also highlighted some regional differences, like stuffing versus dressing and rolls versus biscuits. Some states also went on their own, like Maine being the only ones that like side salad the best, and Indiana touted deviled eggs. All I know is all of your Thanksgiving menus sound pretty delicious, and I would gladly fill my plate with absolutely everything on this map. You can see the whole breakdown on Zippia's site.
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