For many families, the distinction between stuffing and dressing doesn't really matter. As long as the classic Thanksgiving side dish makes its way to the table year after year, the name is just a matter of semantics. But if you want to bring some holiday trivia to your Thanksgiving meal, then knowing why some people call it stuffing and others say dressing might be a fun tidbit to learn about. In which case, we've gotten to the bottom of the age-old question: What's the difference between stuffing versus dressing?
According to The Pioneer Woman, "Some people stuff their roasted turkey with dressing, in which case the dressing is called stuffing. Others are dead set against stuffing the bird and opt for baking their stuffing in a baking dish, which means it's called dressing." In other words, "This dish is a wildly personal one," she says.
And while the words stuffing and dressing are used interchangeably, there's more to it than you might think. The debate is also fueled by where you live. Read on to find out more about stuffing versus dressing, including the history of this Thanksgiving food.
What is Thanksgiving stuffing?
Just as the name implies, stuffing is a mixture of dried bread, herbs, and other flavorful mix-ins that's literally stuffed in your holiday bird. If you want to be precise, just take a look at the dictionary! According to Merriam-Webster, stuffing is "typically placed inside the cavity of a turkey." By placing the stuffing inside the turkey, the bread steams to help maintain moisture and also soaks up all that turkey flavor while it cooks.
What is Thanksgiving dressing?
Unlike stuffing, Thanksgiving dressing is a little harder to define. The dish is made of similar ingredients but is often baked in a casserole dish instead of inside the turkey. It also happens to be Ree's preferred method, too. "It's less complicated, and produces a better textured dressing," she says," I love a crunchy topping on my dressing, and you just don't get it when it bakes inside the turkey!"
Why is it called stuffing vs. dressing?
This has a bit to do with the history of stuffing. These days, most families enjoy some kind of mixture consisting of drying bread (whether it be cornbread, sourdough, or white bread), herbs, veggies, and sometimes meat. But there's no evidence that suggests it was actually served at the original Thanksgiving dinner. According to History.com, the Pilgrims most likely added "herbs, onions, or nuts" to their Thanksgiving turkey and as the years went on, ingredients like oysters, chestnuts, and—yes—bread were added.
The term "dressing" didn't appear until the 1850s, when Victorian nobles took offense at the vulgar word "stuffing." So, it’s easy to see why many dressing and stuffing recipes consist of the same ingredients. To understand the difference between the two, all you have to do is look at the cooking method. Stuffing is stuffed (literally) inside the cavity of the turkey, while dressing is roasted in a separate casserole dish.
What are different kinds of stuffing and dressing?
There's no lacking in stuffing recipes (or dressing recipes for that matter)! Just like with the various Thanksgiving traditions that each family holds, there are so many unique and individual ways that you can make stuffing. In fact, everything about stuffing and dressing is completely personal: the type of bread used for stuffing, the mix-ins, and, yes, even the way it's cooked will depend on your family's preferences. In a Google trends data report from 2022, the most searched stuffings were different from state to state. One of the more popular searches was for cornbread dressing, but other standout stuffing recipes to try include:
- Sausage Stuffing
- Apple-Cranberry Stuffing
- Stuffing with Chorizo and Poblano
- Dressing with Dried Fruits and Nuts
- Crock-Pot Stuffing
Who calls it dressing vs. stuffing?
Despite cooking techniques, the name game usually splits along regional lines, with cooks from the Northeast and Pacific Northwest sticking to stuffing, while the South and Midwest prefer the more proper dressing (and, to make matters even more confusing, our Pennsylvania friends use the term "filling"—not to be confused with the stuff that goes in pies).
This is down to a science: A 2015 survey conducted on behalf of the poultry company Butterball revealed that, regardless of how the dish was cooked, most of the country—including 100 percent of New Englanders—refers to the side as stuffing, while Southerners are devoted dressing fans.
Whether you're a die-hard Thanksgiving dressing fan or a staunch stuffing supporter, we can all agree on one thing in the stuffing vs. dressing debate: It's incredibly delicious!
