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 – Chili 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.
