Every year around November, the same old question resurfaces: what exactly is the difference between stuffing and dressing? And every year we believe it to be a simple answer: stuffing is what you call that delicious mix of bread (with aromatics and other fillings) that’s cooked inside the bird, and dressing is what you call it when you cook that same bread mixture outside of the bird.
While this is mostly true, unfortunately the answer is not as clear cut as that.
It turns out we use different terms based on what region we live in, no matter what ingredients we use, or whether we stuff the bird or not.
Most differences in regional recipes are a result of what’s available locally ― oyster dressing is popular in coastal areas, cornbread stuffing is popular in the South, and sourdough stuffing is big in Northern California.
Advertisem*nt
In the South, it’s typically referred to as dressing. In the Northeast, it’s almost always stuffing. In Pennsylvania Dutch Country, it’s actually called filling and is mixed with mashed potatoes. In the rest of the country, it’s mostly referred to as stuffing, but not always. There’s one state north of the Mason Dixon line that prefers the term dressing, and that’s Iowa.
Despite the South’s affection for dressing, often times in those states it’s also called stuffing. According to Epicurious, the only states that searched for dressing recipes over stuffing recipes were Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The term for stuffing is pretty self-explanatory ― it’s used to stuff the cavity of a bird. But dressing? Apparently that’s a result of politesse. Stuffing just wasn’t a nice word, and Southerners didn’t want to use it. (Just like some of them prefer to call grits hominy.)
In other words, call it what you want ― use the term interchangeably if you please. Just make sure you eat lots of it. Here are some recipes to make sure you get that done this Thanksgiving.
Advertisem*nt
1
2
Half Baked Harvest
Herby Mushroom Croissant Stuffing
3
Boulder Locavore
Spicy Chorizo Cornbread Sage Dressing
Get the Spicy Chorizo Cornbread Sage Dressing recipe from Boulder Locavore
Advertisem*nt
4
Half Baked Harvest
Butternut Squash And Wild Mushroom Stuffing
Get the Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Stuffing recipe from Half Baked Harvest
5
6
Damn Delicious
Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
Get the Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing recipe from Damn Delicious
Advertisem*nt
7
Damn Delicious
Homemade Stovetop Stuffing
Get the Homemade Stovetop Stuffing recipe from Damn Delicious
8
AVerie Cooks
Classic Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing
Get the Classic Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe from Averie Cooks
9
Advertisem*nt
10
Spicy Southern Kitchen
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Get the Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen
11
12
Half Baked Harvest
Buffalo Cheddar Beer Bread Stuffing
Get the Buffalo Cheddar Beer Bread Stuffing recipe from Half Baked Harvest
Advertisem*nt
13
Brown Eyed Baker
Traditional Bread Stuffing
Get the Traditional Bread Stuffing recipe from Brown Eyed Baker
14
15
Cafe Johnsonia
Kale, Dried Porcini Mushroom And Pine Nut Stuffing
Get the Kale, Dried Porcini Mushroom and Pine Nut Stuffing recipe from Cafe Johnsonia
Advertisem*nt
16
Cafe Johnsonia
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing With Leeks, Pecans And Dried Cranberries (Gluten-Free)
Get the Cornbread Sausage Stuffing with Leeks, Pecans, and Dried Cranberries recipe from Cafe Johnsonia
17
18
A Beautiful Mess
Bacon And Bourbon Stuffing
Get the Bacon And Bourbon Stuffing recipe from A Beautiful Mess
Advertisem*nt
19
The View From The Great Island
Pumpkin Cornbread Stuffing With Country Sausage And Sage
Get the Pumpkin Cornbread Stuffing with Country Sausage and Sage recipe from The View From The Great Island
20
Jessica In The Kitchen
Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing (Vegan)
21
Orchids & Sweet Tea
Easy Vegan Wild Rice Stuffing
Advertisem*nt
22
Damn Delicious
Slow Cooker Cranberry Pecan Stuffing
23
Foodie Crush
Cranberry And Walnut Stuffing
Get the Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing recipe from Foodie Crush
24
A Spicy Perspective
Southwest Cornbread Stuffing
Get the Southwest Cornbread Stuffing recipe from A Spicy Perspective
Advertisem*nt
25
