When it comes to condiments, the United States is a country of diverse and distinct tastes. From coast to coast, people have different preferences for the sauces, spreads and toppings that enhance their meals, often shaped by regional cuisine and cultural influences.
Ranker has listed each state’s most popular condiment, based on polling data from the website Influenster. Newsweek has put the data into a map, showing the most popular condiments in every state to reflect America’s culinary landscape.
Newsweek spoke to Rachel E. Black, a professor at Connecticut College, all about condiments, which she says “don’t always require a lot of culinary knowledge. They can add a lot of flavor to food and people are more open these days to new tastes.”
Typical American sandwich condiments on a kitchen counter. A new map shows the most popular condiments in the United States.
DonNichols/Getty Images
What Is a condiment?
A condiment is most simply defined as a substance used to enhance the flavor of food.
Condiments can be added to a dish during cooking or served alongside the meal for individual customization. Common examples include spreads, oils, pickled items, spices and sauces such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, soy sauce and salsa.
How Do Condiment Preferences Differ Across America?
Black told Newsweek that: “Regional popularity can be attributed to a number of factors.
“First, there are distinct regional cuisines in the U.S. Some areas are more open to immigrant cuisines than others. These immigrant cuisines and their condiments become popularized through their use in restaurants, availability in mainstream grocery stores and adaptations to make them more palatable to the average American taste (salty and sweet).
“Second, mainstream exposure through television and social media is also starting to have an impact on food trends and the acceptance of new foods into the mainstream American diet.”
She added that condiments like “sriracha hot sauce, gochujang and tahini” are part of this.
The top five most popular condiments across the United States are:
- Nature’s Way Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon
- Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce: Arizona, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas
- Nutella: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia
- French’s Crunchy Toppers Crispy Jalapenos: Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina
- Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana
Nature’s Way Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, the top condiment in America, is known for its versatility in cooking and health applications. It has a mild coconut flavor and can be used for frying, sautéing, or even as a butter substitute in baking.
“I think its popularity came from health claims in news, television and social media,” Black said.
Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, which comes in second place, has a strong cayenne pepper flavor and is often used to add heat to dishes without overwhelming the flavors. Tied for third place is Nutella and French’s Crunchy Toppers Crispy Jalapenos.
Black told Newsweek that: “The presence of immigrants and ‘ethnic’ restaurants helps with the introduction of new foods and tastes.
“Peppers used to be associated with hot climates, but that is no longer the case. We find hot sauce everywhere and its original health properties are secondary.”
“While there are regional differences in the U.S., social media is doing a lot of flattening of diversity,” Black said. “The main barriers are what is available locally and what exposure people have to products. Major supermarket chains are also becoming more responsive to social media trends, helping them spread very quickly.”
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