The Most Popular, Non-Turkey Thanksgiving Dishes, by State
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — For just about everyone, Thanksgiving means a turkey on the table. But if you live in Colorado, Idaho or Nevada, you’re probably also looking forward to a big-‘ol helping of frog eye salad on the side. Or maybe some persimmon pudding if you’re a Hoosier, or pineapple casserole if you live in the Palmetto State.
Those are some of the most popular, non-turkey Thanksgiving dishes, by state, according to a survey by The New York Times.
The newspaper enlisted Google’s help to do it, asking the Internet search authority to scour Thanksgiving week data going back 10 years, by state, to find the most searched-for, most distinct non-turkey dishes. The New York Times then compiled the data, listing not only the most popular, but also the top 10 contenders.
Not all of the results are bizarre-sounding to out-of-staters: there are lots of hits for familiar Thanksgiving dishes like pumpkin pie, candied yams, meat loaves and stuffings. There are also signs of the times, with frequent searches for meatless or gluten-free versions of holiday favorites.
Folks in Tennessee love their spinach maria — essentially, a cheesy spinach casserole — but regional desserts like Coca-Cola cake and Butterfinger cake also make their list.
If you dine in Utah on Thursday, expect some equally cheesy funeral potatoes on the side.
Washington state, not surprisingly, loves their smoked salmon dip, and while pumpkin whoopie pie is popular in lots of New England states, it’s nowhere more popular than in Maine and Vermont.
The New York Times has the entire survey broken down as an interactive list with links to recipes and other info, as well as a handy map of the U.S. that shows the most popular results, by state, at a glance.
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