NEW JERSEY — From classic comfort foods to cultural fare handed down over generations, Christmas meals on New Jersey dinner tables tend to showcase a variety of robust flavors. According to a new survey, however, it’s these two dishes that are most craved in the Garden State during the holiday season.
Writers at New Jersey-based cabinet maker Fabuwood recently surveyed 3,000 people to discover the most-craved Christmas dishes in every state. What it found was the days of sticking to the traditional turkey or ham dinner are long gone.
The most dreamed-about holiday meals in New Jersey were lemon chicken orzo soup and the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
When it comes to comfort food, lemon chicken orzo soup is sure to check all the right boxes. The dish is packed with hearty veggies and tender chicken in a refreshing lemony broth.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition that celebrates Christmas Eve and features — you guessed it — seven different kinds of fish or seafood dishes. The tradition is known in Italy as La Viglia, which translates to The Eve.
While New Jerseyans may have tried-and-true recipes on hand, here are a few for anyone who may be cooking these dishes for the first time this Christmas:
Here are some other interesting findings on what holiday dishes please Americans’ palates according to where they live:
Southern states dominate the dessert category with specialties like Mississippi’s mud pie and Alabama’s red velvet cake.Coastal states prefer seafood as the main start of the meal.The Midwest embraces its immigrant heritage with dishes like West Virginia’s pierogies and Wisconsin’s Swedish meatballs.Western states showcase local ingredients (like bison.)
See the full survey online.