Here are the foods Southerners are searching online before Thanksgiving, data show
Thanksgiving is approaching, and Southerners aren’t just thinking about putting turkey on the table.
They are looking up classic side dishes, such as mac and cheese and casseroles, data show. But this year, more surprising foods also made it into the list of online searches nationwide.
To come up with the most popular side in each state, business resource Zippia says it analyzed 2019 Google search data for more than a dozen foods traditionally served for Thanksgiving. And on Monday, Google Trends released data for “uniquely searched side dishes.”
The two tools weighed the foods that people in one state look up disproportionately when compared to the entire nation, according to CNBC and Zippia.
The results show regional differences in craveable foods and search terms across the country. For example, Southerners looked up “dressing,” while people in the Northeast searched for “stuffing,” Zippia says.
Also, mashed potatoes were the most popular in 10 Midwestern and western states but didn’t have the same appeal in the South, findings show.
Then there were the favorites that appeared in only one state: fruit salad in Iowa, deviled eggs in Rhode Island and duck confit in Washington, D.C., according to the Google Trends results.
So what are people craving across the Southeast? Here’s what the results show.
▪ Alabama is doing searches for dressing the most, while cornbread dressing leads the state’s unique searches.
▪ Georgia residents are thinking about mac and cheese, making it the state’s most popular search. Sweet potato souffle leads unique queries.
▪ Florida is looking up sweet potato casserole the most, while cornbread tops the list of unique searches in the state.
▪ Kentucky is where broccoli casserole is an apparent favorite, as the dish reigned supreme on the two lists.
▪ Louisiana residents can’t get enough cornbread dressing, with the dish ranking at the top of the two lists.
▪ Mississippi is searching for baked sweet potatoes more than all other side dishes. Cornbread dressing is its most popular unique food.
▪ North Carolina joins other places where mac and cheese was the most popular side but is the only state in the country where rice leads unique searches.
▪ South Carolina residents are looking up mac and cheese more than any other side dish. The Palmetto State is also among the places where cornbread dressing tops unique searches.
▪ Tennessee residents have sweet potato casserole on their minds, with the dish making it to the top of the two lists.
▪ Virginia is looking up mac and cheese the most. It also is the only place where yams earn a spot in the rankings for unique searches.
No matter what your family is serving this year, health officials recommend limiting holiday celebrations to people in your household. Having dinner with those you don’t live with carries a higher risk for spreading COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 9:44 AM with the headline "Here are the foods Southerners are searching online before Thanksgiving, data show."
