Foursquare tracked people’s tastes across America to come up with a very interesting way to determine the uniqueness of taste: they mined their user data to figure out which food or drink was disproportionately popular in each state. So this map doesn’t show what’s the most popular item in each state, but what item is most uniquely popular in each state (in relation to other places).
This way, you get slightly more interesting selections that aren’t the usual pizza, burritos and burgers. You can see an interactive version of the map here. Here’s the full list:
- Alabama – Fried Green Tomatoes
- Alaska – King Crab
- Arizona – Prickly Pear
- Arkansas – Catfish
- California – Chinese Chicken Salad
- Colorado – Chilli Rellenos
- Connecticut – Grinders
- Delaware – Crab Soup
- Florida – Conch Fritters
- Georgia – Brunswick Stew
- Hawaii – Poke
- Idaho – Sweet Pork
- Illinois – Italian Beef
- Indiana – Lemon Rice Soup
- Iowa – Potato Wedges
- Kansas – Cherry Limeade
- Kentucky – Country Ham
- Louisiana – Crawfish
- Maine – Lobster
- Maryland – Crab Cakes
- Massachusetts – Lobster Rolls
- Michigan – Perch
- Minnesota – Juicy Lucy Burger
- Mississippi – Po’boys
- Missouri – Toasted Ravioli
- Montana – Huckleberry
- Nebraska – Mini Corn Dogs
- Nevada – Bottle Service
- New Hampshire – Haddock
- New Jersey – Pork Roll
- New Mexico – Sopapillas
- New York – Avocado Toast
- North Carolina – Hush Puppies
- North Dakota – Bison
- Ohio – Pierogies
- Oklahoma – Chicken Fried Steak
- Oregon – Salad Rolls
- Pennsylvania – Chicken Cheesesteaks
- Rhode Island – Fried Clams
- South Carolina – Grits
- South Dakota – Walleye
- Tennessee – Banana Pudding
- Texas – Breakfast Tacos
- Utah – Chile Verde
- Vermont – Maple Syrup
- Virginia – Crab Sandwich
- Washington – Dungeness Crab
- West Virginia – Pepperoni Rolls
- Wisconsin – Fried Fish
- Wyoming – Elk
Foursquare explains its methodology:
Foursquare’s data science team identified the singular tastes of all 50 states and D.C., using a mix of data sets (menus, tips, ratings, and more) and normalizing for size against other states. Then the editorial team reviewed the data and selected the winning taste that is most special and unique to each state. The percentage equals the affinity for that taste over the national average. Also included are the 50 best places in each state for that taste.