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).

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.

With the opening day of the 2024/2025 season in the rearview, fans have more than likely started munching on their favorite foods while watching a few (or all) of the games. All while dreaming that their team makes the potential Super Bowl trip.

As mentioned, part of the tradition for Sunday football is watch parties, tailgates, and snacking -- lots of it.

To celebrate the first few games of the season, VegasInsider analyzed, and researched the most popular snacks across the country,

The study was based on the search volume for each snack using the words "NFL". New Jersey returned results of a "mixed variety", and if you asked this observer, the snack that ranked #12 (last), should be categorized as some sort of heinous crime.

But see for yourself....

Starting off the list are Mozzarella Sticks, returning an average search volume of 620. Trust me, that count is pretty low, you'll see as we go further down the list. Were most of you upset like I was? Mozzarella sticks are a SOLID #5, and CERTAINLY better than the #9 spot, but we will get to that...

Probably one of the most versatile on the 12 on this list, you can put almost anything on a hot dog and it will taste good.  We don't even really know what it's made of, but we don't care! Grilled, fried, even MICROWAVED, it all tastes good! Unfortunately, it did not "cut the mustard", only returning a search volume of 1,010. 

Honestly surprising this ended up so high (or low) on the list. With an average of 3,161 pizza places in the state, NOT including chains, Pizza is a readily available option for New Jersey residents. Maybe that's the problem..it's readily available. Why go out of your way to get it every Sunday? Another versatile food option, it only returned an average search count of 1,020 -- just 10 more than the hot dog.  What's even more surprising is that pizza ranked LAST among footballs fans on average across the country. 

Returning an average search count of 1,040, this is controversial (at least for me). THIS should be the #12 spot. It's a movie food! When the game is on, my first instinct is not "Can't wait to chow down on some popcorn, and get kernels in my teeth". With that said, I still endure, and I still eat it when it's around. Butter, Caramel, Cheddar...it's all good. 

Now we start seeing pretty big jumps in the search count. This bar classic returned an average search count of 1,420. If you find an arrangement of sauces these make a delicious edition to any Football night snacks arrangement. 

Talk about versatility! How many brands, styles, and flavors of chips are there out in the world? How many brands, styles, and flavors of dip are out there? Are you a Doritos person, or a Lay's person? Are you the one guy who brought Fritos!? Do you like the punch of a spicy salsa? or the smooth flavor of ranch? Personally, grab a Jar of Tostino's Queso Blanco and I can dip a piece of cardboard in it. I think it's THAT good! Others agree chips and dip are a staple in the house, returning an average search count of 1,740.  

The cousin to the chip, the Pretzel returned with a score of 2,010. Whether you enjoy the hard, bite-sized pretzels from a bag, the big and soft salted pretzels, or even the sticks that are perfect for dipping. Pretzels start off the list of the top 6! 

The messiest option, but always savory, BBQ ribs jump FAR ahead of the #6 spot with 2,770 for an average search volume. Just make sure you have a napkin on standby... 

Another large jump in average search volume, Chicken Wings are another snack that provides a medley of options. Boneless, or bone-In? And if you like bone-in, do you like flats or sticks? 
Do you like Buffalo, BBQ, or Garlic Parmesan? In New Jersey, Chicken Wings had an average search volume of 3,420! 

Taking home the bronze medal, meatballs step away from the spaghetti dish and plant themselves in the third-place spot for your Sunday snack lineup! Meatballs returned and an average search volume of 5,450! What's great about the meatball (other than everything), is when you get tired of using a fork, just plop one of those bad boys on a sub roll and you have yourselves a sandwich! 

The runner-up goes to the reliable nacho! Now, I know what you might be thinking, and no, nachos do not count as "chips and dip".  The reason for that...presentation. Nachos are more than just chips and cheese, it's chips, cheese, salsa, sour cream, peppers, olives, and occasionally, pork, all blissfully blended in one. Nachos returned an average search volume of 13,130! 

New Jersey's top spot goes to Sliders! Sliders returned the largest average search volume with 17,050! Sliders have gotten more creative through the years. But I'm a big proponent of keeping it simple. A nice medium-rare with cheese, ketchup, and onions, and I'm set!
Overall, sliders were the most popular snack choice for the country!