These Are VA's 2 Most-Craved Christmas Dishes, Survey Says

VIRGINIA — From classic comfort foods to cultural fare handed down over generations, Christmas meals on Virginia 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 by Virginians during the holiday season.

Writers at New Jersey-based cabinetmaker 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 Virginia were Southern-baked macaroni and cheese and gingerbread cake with lemon glaze.

While Virginians 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:

• Southern-Style Macaroni & Cheese
• Classic Southern Macaroni and Cheese
• Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Glaze
• Old Fashioned Gingerbread with Lemon Glaze

Ham is the way to go at Christmas in many regions, claiming three of the top 10 spots.

The top 10 regional favorites are, according to the survey:

1. New York’s cheesecake
2. Idaho’s prime rib
3. Texas’ Texas-style barbecue brisket
4. Kentucky’s bourbon-glazed ham
5. Vermont’s maple-glazed ham
6. Washington’s apple pie
7. Virginia’s southern baked macaroni and cheese
8. Alaska’s snow-crab legs
9. Wisconsin’s honey-glazed ham
10. Nevada’s bone-in rib-eye steak

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.