After a bad day, many people opt to eat a plate of mac and cheese, a bowl of chili, or a heap of pot roast — comfort foods that are good for the stomach, heart, and head.
But Massachusettsans are apparently a different breed.
A new report found that Bay Staters’ favorite comfort food is … strawberry shortcake. The crumbly sweet cake topped with red fruit? Sprinkled with vanilla extract and lemon zest? Really?!
Not something saucy? Chowdery? Something, perhaps, easier to make?
The lighting and electrical company e-conolight drew from 2020 Google Trend results to specify the most popular comfort food across America. Six states love grilled cheese. Oregon likes corn cakes. Iowa likes monkey bread. And Washington likes Swedish pancakes (which are just eggier flapjacks).
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Other top-searched comfort foods in the nation include chicken and waffles, chicken noodle soup, baked potato soup, and mashed potatoes.
E-conolight said the conclusions make one thing perfectly clear. “Americans certainly do love our cheese, chicken, and deep-fried goodness,” the company wrote in a statement.
The study also delineates states’ favorite “comfort” main dish, side dish, and dessert.
Massachusettsans find solace in pizza, stuffing, and again, strawberry shortcake. Other New England states love pulled pork (Vermont), lasagna (Maine), and American chop suey (New Hampshire). Pizza wins again in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
In fact, every single New England state loves stuffing as a side dish, and almost all of them prefer strawberry shortcake for dessert. Only Maine stands out with its love for chocolate chip cookies.
Diti Kohli can be reached at diti.kohli@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ditikohli_.
Diti Kohli can be reached at diti.kohli@globe.com.Follow her on Twitter @ditikohli_.