Raisins, Oysters and Cornbread: How States Prepare Thanksgiving Stuffing

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, people across the country have taken to the internet to look up some of their favorite recipes to serve at their respective gatherings.

Though stuffing is a popular dish, a map compiled by Google Trends specifically points to "uniquely searched stuffings by state in 2022." Many recipes have similar components with just a few key differences in the add-ins.

Cornbread Stuffing

In 15 states, including much of the southern region of the United States, "cornbread dressing" was the most searched recipe.

One version of this type of recipe from Allrecipes involves crumbled cornbread, diced onions and celery, eggs and chicken stock.

Chefs combine the cornbread with the sautéed vegetables, chicken stock and other components of the recipe until they are all combined. It is then baked in an oven for about a half hour.

Raisin Stuffing

Other cooks will turn to some kind of produce to include in their stuffing, like apples, sage and raisins.

Pennsylvanians may find comfort in knowing there are several recipes available that include raisins.

One such recipe by Sandra Lee calls for golden raisins, fresh sage and chopped walnuts. The raisins are soaked in hot water, which may be used later if the mixture is too dry.

Oyster Stuffing

Oyster stuffing, or dressing, has also proven itself to be a popular dish in Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina.

This recipe, one of which can be found on Taste of Home, requires cubed bread, shucked oysters and sage. Sautéed vegetables are stirred into a mixture of seasonings before the cubed bread is added. After the oysters are gently added to the mixture, it is baked.

In addition to these recipe add-ins, cooks in Oklahoma have been googling red jello cornbread. Hawaiians have been searching for jalapeno cheese stuffing. And Nevada might be on to something with bacon-wrapped stuffing.

Other popular related Thanksgiving search topics include how to cook a turkey, Thanksgiving drink recipes and pie recipes.

Some of the most searched pie recipes in the past week alone include pumpkin pie, apple pie, sweet potato pie and pecan pie.

For those planning ahead, Google noted that people have begun searching for ideas for their leftovers.

Newsweek previously reported that data gathered by Google Trends in 2021 showed that stuffing was the most searched-for side dish.

It topped other dishes, including macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.