For Thanksgiving dinner this year, you'll likely be pulling up to a plate of turkey (or tofurky or the protein of your choice) with some green beans, potatoes, marshmallow-covered sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and maybe a few rolls.
And if you're in Ohio, according to Google, there's a very good chance you'll also be eating "stuffed mushrooms."
Google has released a list of the most uniquely searched Thanksgiving side dishes by state. As you look across the map, there are lots of predictable mainstays — green beans, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, stuffing (or dressing if you're down South).
But there are a handful of surprises.
We'll just assume that some of those unexpected sides are culturally specific, unusual to outsiders only. Perhaps Texans have discovered the digestive benefits of "fruit salad" after a big meal? Maybe "keto soup" is a centuries' old tradition in North Dakota? For all we know, Iowans and South Dakota natives regularly overload their Thanksgiving dinners with carbs, then freak out at the last minute when they realize they don't have any vegetables and panic-search "SALAD."
But then you get to Ohio, which, Google says, loves… ’shrooms?
Yes, the Google Trends rundown says the most uniquely searched Thanksgiving side dish is stuffed mushrooms. A quick survey of the Southwestern Ohioans at CityBeat earned a collective "WHHAAT?" Most of us couldn't even think of what the mushrooms would be stuffed with.
A quick Google search for "Ohio stuffed mushrooms" (which is just adding more legitimacy to the survey but whatever) offers few clues about the alleged popularity of the dish in our state.
The Queen City Sausage company has a recipe for Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, while the website ohiocountryregister.com has one with a spinach-stuffed twist. Trip Advisor has a photo of stuffed mushrooms from now-closed Cleveland restaurant Houlihan's. There are enough places in Columbus that serve stuffed mushrooms that the Foursquare city guide did a top 15 list. And a Columbus TV station's story about a Texas woman who sued Olive Garden because she said their stuffed mushrooms burned her mouth also makes the first page of the Google search results.
So please tell us, fellow Ohioans — are stuffed mushrooms a regular part of your Thanksgiving feast? Or is the Ohio mushroom industry lobby just rigging the search results?
