Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away, so it’s time for Illinois residents to take time away from thinking about the Cubs and White Sox and concentrate on the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks and Butterballs. (Remember, this site is your home for everything Illinois NBA betting.)
In order to get in the festive spirit of overeating, arguing politics, and watching football, and before we sink into our turkey tryptophan haze, we thought we’d look at the most popular plates on the table next to the turkey.
As expected, it was a close contest.
Take some time away from Illinois sports betting and see what everyone is looking forward to on Nov. 24.
Illinois' Favorite Side Dishes
Stuffing Takes The Crown
Coming in at No. 1 is stuffing. Stuffing has a huge advantage in the survey because 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.
Stuffing was voted the No. 1 side dish in Chicago (25%) and, yes, there is a recipe for Great Chicago Fire Thanksgiving Stuffing. It’s made with Great Chicago Fire spice rub, bacon, apples, and more.
Coming in second in Illinois is macaroni & cheese, a classic side dish for any holiday — and a main dish at the children’s table. I just can’t fathom the pilgrims and Indians sitting down and eating pasta. But in Chi-town, I can see a deep-dish mac, which would be a second favorite should BetMGM Sportsbook IL offers odds on most likely sides.
In third place is mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes also 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 with a little body and a hint of garlic.
Bringing Up The Rear
In fourth place, Illinois picked green bean casserole, with 19%. But the popular vegetable dish on the Thanksgiving table was No. 1 in Champaign/Springfield with 28%.
Maybe it’s because farms in southeastern Illinois grow a lot of green beans.
In fifth place with only 9% of the vote is cranberry sauce.
I have to take issue with the survey here, because cranberry sauce is not a side dish — it’s a Thanksgiving condiment. Over the years cranberry sauce has grown from the gelatinous form still in the shape of a can, to a fancy recipe with fresh cranberries, orange zest and sprinkled nutmeg, but it remains a food where the canned version is king.
It’s a tart table complement to the sweet stuffing and turkey gravy.
Methodology
Utilizing Google Trends, IllinoisBet.com analyzed the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes of Illinois residents by looking at the search results of each side dish from Nov. 1, 2021 to Nov. 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, candied yams, brussel sprouts and cranberry sauce.
While we like to have fun here at IllinoisBet.com with pieces like this, do also stay close for reviews of IL mobile betting apps as well.
