Super Bowl Food Favorites Vary From State To State According To Google
As Super Bowl party hosts began food prepping in time for the big game, Google tracked exactly what they were searching for to fill their treat-laden table with. Guests wanting to bring a snack along to a friend’s house likely added to these search results, some of which were awfully surprising.
Google Trends pieced together a list of the most googled snacks by state. Some items are expected, such as the deliciously spicy buffalo chicken dip most searched for by Connecticut residents and football cupcakes from fans in Hawaii.
But a few other states’ Google results yielded some weird food options for what one might imagine being placed on the table at a football party, such as lentil soup in Montana, fried rice in Indiana, Irish stew in Iowa, and pea and peppercorn mash out of New Mexico.
According to neuroscientist Rachel Herz, author of Why You Eat What You Eat, how your team performs during the Super Bowl also influences what you eat, even if your state’s most googled food item is sitting on the table waiting for you to gobble it up.
“Many, many chickens die for the Super Bowl, and it’s estimated that people consume, in the four to five hours of the game alone, 2,400 calories,” Herz told National Public Radio.
Looking for #SuperBowl food inspiration? Check out what each state is searching for!https://t.co/KrYmqd2sOB pic.twitter.com/G6YYejsbVX
— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) February 2, 2019
Herz cited a study that followed the eating habits of an estimated 700 American football fans residing in major U.S. cities from 2004-2005. In the cities where a home team lost on a regularly scheduled Sunday night NFL game, the study revealed a 16 percent increase in the consumption of high-calorie, high-fat processed foods such as pizza and pastries on the following Monday.
“This was a study done specifically looking at both NFL scores and the degree of fandom. So this is especially the case with more committed fans, for more important games — and obviously, the Super Bowl is one of them. And [the effect was most pronounced] when there is a tight spread and the two teams are well matched in terms of rivalry. [In those cases, consumption of comfort foods spiked by 28 percent.],” Herz said.
The opposite is true for the winning side. Even though they’ve heartily snacked throughout the game, thrilled for their team’s success, they actually ate less high-calorie, high-fat foods the Monday after game day.
Below is a run-down of the most googled food items for the Super Bowl according to Google Trends.
Alabama: White chicken chili
Alaska: Nachos
Arizona: Cake
Arkansas: Fried chicken wings
California: Baked chicken breast
Colorado: Broccoli cheese soup
Connecticut: Buffalo chicken dip
Delaware: Chocolate peanut butter cake
Washington, D.C.: Bagel pigs in a blanket
Florida: Cake
Georgia: Buffalo chicken dip
Hawaii: Football cupcakes
Idaho: Salads
Illinois: Jalapeno poppers
Indiana: Fried rice
Iowa: Irish stew
Kansas: Buffalo chicken dip
Kentucky: Taco salad
Louisiana: Cupcakes
Maine: Paella
Maryland: Pizza
Massachusetts: Gluten-free pretzels
Michigan: Pizza
Minnesota: Tacos
Mississippi: Granola bars
Missouri: Broccoli cheese soup
Montana: Lentil soup
Nebraska: Pigs in a blanket
Nevada: Vegan cheesy bacon spinach dip
New Hampshire: Cakes and cupcakes
New Jersey: Buffalo chicken dip
New Mexico: Pea and peppercorn mash
New York: Spinach dip
North Carolina: Cobb salad
North Dakota: Baked nachos
Ohio: Buffalo chicken dip
Oklahoma: Chicken noodle soup
Oregon: Banana bread
Pennsylvania: Chicken wings
Rhode Island: 7-layer dip
South Carolina: Turkey chili
South Dakota: Cupcakes
Tennessee: Cake
Texas: Spinach dip
Utah: Bacon wrapped smokies
Vermont: Lasagna
Virginia: Buffalo chicken dip
Washington: Cakes
West Virginia: Buffalo chicken dip
Wisconsin: Buffalo chicken dip
Wyoming: Cakes
