Are Stuffing And Dressing The Same Thing, Or Not?

Let's put this issue to rest.

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.

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.

1
How Sweet Eats
Favorite Buttery Herb Stuffing
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
4
Half Baked Harvest
Butternut Squash And Wild Mushroom Stuffing
5
Completely Delicious
Easy Classic Stuffing
6
Damn Delicious
Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
Get the Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing recipe from Damn Delicious
7
Damn Delicious
Homemade Stovetop Stuffing
Get the Homemade Stovetop Stuffing recipe from Damn Delicious
8
AVerie Cooks
Classic Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing
9
How Sweet Eats
Grilled Bread Stuffing
10
Spicy Southern Kitchen
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Get the Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen
11
Cooking Classy
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Get the Slow Cooker Stuffing recipe from Cooking Classy
12
Half Baked Harvest
Buffalo Cheddar Beer Bread Stuffing
Get the Buffalo Cheddar Beer Bread Stuffing recipe from Half Baked Harvest
13
Brown Eyed Baker
Traditional Bread Stuffing
Get the Traditional Bread Stuffing recipe from Brown Eyed Baker
14
Damn Delicious
Apple Walnut Sausage Stuffing
15
Cafe Johnsonia
Kale, Dried Porcini Mushroom And Pine Nut Stuffing
16
Cafe Johnsonia
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing With Leeks, Pecans And Dried Cranberries (Gluten-Free)
17
Minimalist Baker
Simple Vegan Stuffing
Get the Simple Vegan Stuffing recipe from Minimalist Baker
18
A Beautiful Mess
Bacon And Bourbon Stuffing
Get the Bacon And Bourbon Stuffing recipe from A Beautiful Mess
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
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
25
Damn Delicious
Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing

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