The #1 Finger Food in New Jersey May Surprise You

I remember when I was about 8 or 9 and I heard the term "finger food" for the first time. My family and I went to a party at the house of a friend of my parents. They were serving “finger food.” It was the first time I remember seeing servers walking around offering food. It’s also the first time I remember hearing the term “finger food.” My mom told me what kind of food there was for me to eat. She said something like, “There’s burgers, chicken, pasta, and they’re serving finger food.” My dad or someone's dad probably said, “Whose fingers did they use to make it.” It’s a stupid dad joke, but I had never heard that term before. I remember being confused and thinking about human fingers, “What the heck is that?!” It’s something my parents laugh about and remind me of to this day. Finger food is usually the best-tasting food, you just grab it and eat it, no fork, no drips, no crumbs, just a quick small bite. Let's be honest, hors d'oeuvres are always the best food served at weddings. Pigs in a blanket, scallops wrapped in bacon, or those little flaky spinach puff pastries, it all so good. The fact that we haven’t eaten anything and we just sat through a long wedding certainly contributes to the tastiness of just about anything we may devour at that moment. Finger food is very popular this time of year because it’s football season. With that in mind, a study by BetMGM published in The Roar delves into the favorite finger foods that are served at not just football parties, but any watching party throughout the country. They broke it down by state to discover the finger food preferences state by state. Overall, their study, based on research data over the past year, determined that America’s favorite finger food is a tie between Bang Bang Shrimp (battered shrimp with spicy sauce), and Buffalo cauliflower wings (they’re called “wings” but they’re just battered cauliflower with buffalo sauce). New Jersey’s Number 1 Finger Food Here’s another example of how New Jersey is one-of-a-kind compared to all other states. Our favorite is Empanadas, and according to the study, New Jersey is the only state that likes them above all the other snacks. New York, like Florida, prefers mini tartlets (a mini pie dessert). “Connecticut enjoys a more sophisticated fare, caviar blinis” (a small pancake with caviar), and Pennsylvania likes mini meatballs. Other favorite tasty mini foods throughout the country include chicken wings, deviled eggs, sliders, pinwheel sandwiches, and watermelon and feta skewers. Check out the full list here.