Blog of an Ultra-endurance Athlete Who Ran Solo Across the USA, Germany, Alaska and Mojave Desert: What Do People in the 50 U.S. States Enjoy For Thanksgiving?

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

What Do People in the 50 U.S. States Enjoy For Thanksgiving?

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621. The feast lasted three days, and it has been said that there were 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims in attendance.

Today, many Americans view Thanksgiving as a time for spending time with their family, and to remember to be thankful for what they have. Thanksgiving is also a time to eat… a lot! According to estimates by the Calorie Control Council, Americans take in 3,000 to 4,500 calories at their Thanksgiving celebrations. Depending on age, weight, and gender, most people should have somewhere between 1,600 and 2,800 calories daily. Is it possible to have a full Thanksgiving meal with less than 2,000 calories? Sure it is!

What do Americans like to eat at Thanksgiving? To highlight regional tastes, last November General Mills collected data from top recipe searches on BettyCrocker.com, Pillsbury.com, and the cooking website Tablespoon.com. They compiled the state-by-state findings into a map so we could see what Americans like to eat during the holiday.

It turns out, people in Georgia, South Carolina, Delaware, and North Carolina largely searched for sweet potato dishes, while West Virginians, Ohioans, and Pennsylvanians wanted to make buffalo chicken dip. And oddly enough, those in the landlocked states of Arizona and Wisconsin sought out shrimp recipes.

Proving that some Thanksgiving desserts are relatively universal, residents of six states (including South Dakota, South Carolina, Oklahoma, North Carolina, New Mexico, and New Hampshire) all looked for various types of pie. Check out the full findings in the map below.