It's time to take a short break from Kansas sports gambling.
As Turkey Day is now only a few weeks away, in order to get in the festive spirit of overeating (and outcooking your sister) we thought we’d look at the most popular plates on the table next to the turkey in Kansas.
As expected, it was a close contest.
While many other states (like Arizona and Illinois) love their stuffing and mashed potatoes, the No. 1 Thanksgiving side dish in Kansas is green bean casserole. That would have qualified as an upset at Kansas sportsbook apps, for the record.
Much study has gone into why, and there’s even an academic paper entitled “Green Bean Casserole and Midwestern Identity: A Regional Foodways Aesthetic and Ethos.”
This win, however, was across the plains for green bean casserole – a dish literally invented in a Campbell’s Soup kitchen in 1955 in order to boost sales of Cream of Mushroom – as it was No. 1 in Kansas City, Topeka and Wichita.
Kansas' Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Mashed Potatoes, Mac & Cheese Close Behind
In second place is mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes have many varieties, as different cooks have different potato preferences.
Potatoes are a relatively bland vessel for flavor so the quantity of added cheese, butter, cream or chives, can completely change the dish. That also goes for the quality of the mash – smooth or chunky? I like mine a little lumpy with a hint of garlic.
Although Kansas is not one of the nation’s largest potato growers, about 3,000 acres in the Sunflower State are dedicated to the crop.
Coming in third in Kansas is macaroni & cheese, a classic side dish for any holiday – and a main dish at the children’s table.
Stuffing Not Among The Favorites In Kansas
Coming in at No. 4 is stuffing.
Stuffing’s low finish in Kansas is a surprise because it has a huge advantage in that it can be made hundreds of ways – vegan, with sausage, with cherries, raisins or apples, with white, challah or sourdough – and many Thanksgiving tables often have two types of stuffing. You'd think it would have been a heavyweight at operators like BetMGM Sportsbook Kansas.
In 5th place, another shocker, because instead of cranberry sauce, Kansans pick sweet potato casserole.
This creamy orange mash, often made with cinnamon, pecans, butter, and/or marshmallows, is a sweet complement to the stuffing and turkey gravy, and sure to help lead to a zonked-out nap.
Methodology
Utilizing Google Trends, BetKansas.com analyzed the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes of Kansas residents by looking at the search results of each side dish from 11/01/2021 to 11/30/2021. The dishes analyzed were the most in total searches in the United States, including Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Mac & Cheese, Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole and Cranberry Sauce.
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