Holidays often have deep meaning to those who celebrate them ... except those days like National Chair Day or whatever, which I’m sure exists.
As important as the meaning behind a holiday is the food present when celebrating it. And on the Fourth of July, a good backyard spread is essential.
Recommended Videos
Barbecue side dishes can vary greatly from state to state. That is especially true in a new dataset collected by Time2play, which analyzed Google searches to determine the most popular Fourth of July foods in every state.
Here’s what they found.
This article first appeared in our Data Drop Newsletter, where we explore important (and fun) stories using data and research.
Michigan’s most popular Fourth of July food
What are Michiganders focused the most on while preparing to cook their summer holiday meals?
According to Time2play, baked beans were the most Googled Fourth of July food in the state in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
The Great Lakes State was not alone in its alleged Fourth of July favorite: Seven other states also showed preference for baked beans. Those states include Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Virginia and Washington state.
Most popular July 4th foods everywhere else
Baked beans were only the second most popular July 4 food in the U.S.
The data reportedly found that potato salad was the No. 1 Fourth of July food, with 10 states Googling it more than any other food leading up to the holiday, including: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Deviled eggs, macaroni salad, smoked brisket and grilled corn tied for the third most searched Fourth of July food, each with five states showing preference.
Out of more than 100 different types of Fourth of July foods, Time2play found that 12 were the most popular in total. In addition to those already mentioned, other top choices in the U.S. included: red, white and blue fruit pizza; smoked ribs; buffalo chicken dip; coleslaw; roasted potatoes; and fried chicken.
See each state’s favorite in the infographic below.
Overall, cold salads -- potato, macaroni and coleslaw -- seemed to be the most popular July 4th food across the U.S.
Previously from Data Drop: