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The Olympics of eating food is upon us at last, and there are some (me) who argue that the Thanksgiving side dishes are better than the turkey itself. But what are the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes and dessert pies?
The folks at the casino industry publication Online-Casinos.com knew we were pondering those big questions clearly because they put together a survey detailing exactly that.
Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin
My money would have been on stuffing, but this isn’t a shock at all. Mashed potatoes are wonderful. Here’s the secret to good mashed potatoes: Don’t try to make them healthy. Truly, you might as well skip them if you’re gonna do that. Cram those suckers with butter, milk/cream, salt, and bingo, you’ve got incredible mash.
Arizona, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, Washington
There is nobody worse than somebody who uses the phrase, “Well, actually,” but unfortunately I am about to be that person. Ahem.
Most of you are saying the wrong thing when you say “stuffing” because actually this food is usually called “dressing.” It’s only “stuffing” if it’s actually been stuffed inside the bird.
Whatever you call it, it’s a sensational side dish and truly, the only one that is solely associated with Thanksgiving. You could probably order most of these at a restaurant any time of year, but stuffing/dressing belongs to this night and this night only.
Florida, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas
How is this not higher? Mac and cheese is a perfect food. Especially if it’s baked in the oven, and maybe has a little bit of a breadcrumb topping. This should have been a clean sweep, in my opinion.
Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania
I’m a fan of green bean casserole, but I understand why it’s this low. Green beans aren’t as flashy as dressing or mashed potatoes of course, but they’re solid and dependable. Like a Volkswagen.
Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi
Only three states for the delicious combination of sweet potatoes and what I assume to be a marshmallow topping? This is one of the great salty-sweet masterpiece dishes of our time, and much like dressing, it’s usually only eaten once a year.
Connecticut, Massachusetts
Only Connecticut and Massachusetts? C’mon, creamed spinach is great. Old-school steakhouse vibes. Prime rib vibes. This is a great side dish, and it hurts my heart to see its name besmirched.
Alabama, Indiana
Deviled eggs are a phenomenal food, but it’s not quite a perfect connection to Thanksgiving. I love them, but if you asked me to name as many Thanksgiving sides as I could, I’m not sure I’d ever land on deviled eggs.
Maybe stick some of the crispy roasted turkey skin in that yolk, eh?
Kentucky, West Virginia
Another supremely underrated side here, though I’d sooner think of corn on the cobb as a T-Day side than I would of corn casserole. This also feels like something you’d have at a prime rib joint, but that’s fine. Nothing wrong with pretending you’re in a prime rib joint.
Wyoming
This is legitimately insane. What are you doing over there, Wyoming? Cranberry sauce is your favoriteside? There’s nothing on the Thanksgiving table you like more than the cranberry sauce?
Cranberry sauce isn’t even a side dish; it’s a condiment. If it’s a side, then gravy is a side. Even ketchup and mustard become sides at this point, so this one is a no-go for me.
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, MInnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Wow. This was an easy winner to predict, but this is quite the stomping. The people have spoken. Pumpkin pie is the one true Thanksgiving pie to rule them all.
Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont
I am with these seven brave states, personally. All of them know that a delicious apple cinnamon pie is really all you need at the end of a big Thanksgiving meal. Pumpkin’s overrated. Yeah, I said it.
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas
This is another surprisingly low number. And what about sweet potato pie? What about some kind of other fruit? Why are these the only three pies we surveyed?
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