The traditional Thanksgiving meal for many Americans includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy – or does it? In 2007, Butterball, LLC, the largest producer of turkeys in the U.S., conducted an on-line survey of what Americans like to eat on Thanksgiving. Some interesting similarities and differences in how we like our Thanksgiving meal were uncovered.
For the purposes of the survey, the country was divided in regions, including the Pacific Region, Mountain region, South Central Region, North Central/Midwest Region, New England Region, and Mid and South Atlantic Region. Here are some survey highlights:
Thanksgiving Similarities
According to the survey, the following foods are Thanksgiving essentials in many homes across the country, regardless of region:
- Mashed potatoes (95%)
- Cranberry sauce (81%)
- Candied yams (63%)
- Green bean casserole (59%)
- Gravy (46%)
Turkey obviously figures prominently during the feast as well. According to the National Turkey Federation, approximately 46 million turkeys were eaten for Thanksgiving last year, with 88% of Americans enjoying the bird as their main course.
Regional Differences
As one might expect, local ingredients feature prominently in each region when respondents described their favorite recipes. Most notably, maple syrup, cranberries and shellfish may be used in the Northeast; potatoes, cheese, corn and grains in the Midwest; cream and nuts in the South; and wild mushrooms, fresh fruit and fish in the Pacific and Mountain regions. Regional specifics include:
- Light Meat vs. Dark Meat: New Englanders responded that they prefer white meat more than any other region surveyed (82%), with the Pacific region having the highest percentage of people preferring dark meat (41%).
- Giblets: Southern-region cooks are more likely to include turkey giblets in their recipes (50%) than either New Englanders (25%) or people in the Mountain region (30%).
- Stuffing vs. Dressing: 83% of folks surveyed in the north use the term “stuffing”, where 50% of those surveyed in the south refer to it as “dressing”. In the minority are the 1% surveyed who say “filling”.
- Herbs: In the Pacific Region, cooks are more likely to use garlic, sage and thyme to season their turkeys, with the South Central Region opting for flavors like paprika, cloves, rosemary, chili and cumin. Folks in the Mid and South Atlantic regions reportedly use cilantro more often in preparing their turkey than any other region.
- Side Dishes: Candied yams topped the list of favorite side dishes in the South Central Region, with Green Bean Casserole winning out in the Midwest. 100% of the New Englanders surveyed said they eat mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, with 86% saying they also eat cranberry sauce (this is more than any other region).
- Pies: Of those surveyed in the South Central region, 25% are likely to eat pecan pie at Thanksgiving. Compare this to the Mountain region, where none of the respondents chose pecan as their pie of choice, but instead, pumpkin pie is eaten more than anywhere else in the country (70%).
Whatever you choose to serve this year, Happy Thanksgiving!
Deborah Wojcicki - Debbie lives in New England and is an avid herb gardener, foodie and dog lover. In addition to Suite 101, Debbie has been published in The ...
