Stuffing Vs. Dressing: A Definitive State-By-State Breakdown

What do you call the quintessential Thanksgiving side made of crusty bread, broth, and maybe some vegetables?

This one might seem simple, but depending upon where in the country you live, your answer may vary.

Stuffing. Or dressing. It all comes down to geography.

We used data from Google Trends to find out where on Thanksgiving people are piling their plates with stuffing and where they’re scooping on some yummy dressing.

Most Interesting Findings

• Overall, stuffing is nearly twice as popular as dressing in sheer search volume
• At a state level, that trend continues with 36 states loving stuffing, and only 14 preferring dressing
• It’s easy to buy boxed stuffing from big brands like Pepperidge Farm or Kraft, but good luck finding a box of dressing
• That’s okay though, everyone knows the best dressing comes from your Meemaw or Granny’s recipe
• Mississippi is the #1 state for dressing, followed by Alabama and Louisiana
• Dressing is most popular in the south, with some western states knowing what’s up
• In the Northeast, the only dressing they know is what they do when they get up in the morning
• Connecticut and Maine are the biggest stuffing loving states
• Filling, the way less popular cousin of dressing and stuffing, isn’t any states’ favorite.
• However, Mainers like it better than any other state (even though its origins can be traced back to the Pennsylvania Dutch)

10 States That Love Dressing The Most

1. Mississippi
2. Alabama
3. Louisiana
4. Arkansas
5. Georgia
6. Tennessee
7. South Carolina
8. Oklahoma
9. Texas
10. Kentucky

10 States That Love Stuffing The Most

1. Maine
2. Connecticut
3. Pennsylvania
4. Massachusetts
5. New Jersey
6. New Hampshire
7. Rhode Island
8. Montana
9. Alaska
10. Oregon

Keep scrolling to see where you state falls on the stuffing vs dressing spectrum.

How We Determined This

Using Google Trends, we determined what states call that breaded Thanksgiving side stuffing- and where they call it dressing.

We also included the more obscure “filling”, but probably shouldn’t have bothered since no state uses that term over the two more popular ones.

We looked at the month of November 2019 to determine what term people use in each state- and what they’re cooking up.

Unsurprisingly, search volume for all terms peaks on actual Thanksgiving day when Americans are desperately googling “how to make…” basically everything.

Hopefully, their shopping lists were researched earlier or they might find themselves in dire need of bread crumbs and out of luck with so many stores closed.

To Stuff Or Not To Stuff

While stuffing is undeniably the more popular dish name, dressing clearly has its fans.

The dishes seem pretty indistinguishable going by most recipes. Trust me, I have a Southern granny, so I’m basically an expert.

So feel free to call it whatever you like- but if someone offers you stuffing, dressing, filling, or whatever the heck they call it, just say yes. It’s bound to be delicious.

A day off work for most workers to spend with their loved ones, eating yummy dishes, sure puts the thanks in Thanksgiving.

See Also: Food Holidays In November
Stuffing Vs. Dressing: From Most Stuffing To Least

Author

Kathy Morris

Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.