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Stuffing, dressing, or if you’re in Pennsylvania, you have filling — what gives? Is there truly a difference between these terminologies, or are we dealing with a bunch of linguistic semantics?

Via: Flickr

Stuffing doesn’t need a lot of explanation, as the name implies, the bread mixture is literally stuffed into the interior cavity of the bird. Back in the day, stuffing was a frequent culinary occurrence because filling an animal carcass with past-its-prime stale bread was an easy, frugal way to utilize leftovers and not use extra pans. The regional variation, like the term filling, is just another way to describe stuffing. Both stuffing and filling have the same results, as the bird cooks, juices impart a deep, rich flavor to the bread mixture inside. On the other hand, dressing is the same bread mixture, but it’s cooked in a separate vessel outside of the bird.

Via: Flickr

While the culinary variations of stuffing and dressing are real, their differences are not used to define them. Essentially who uses what words is determined by a person’s regional location and not how they’re cooking the bread mixture.

Via: Flickr

If you’re in New England, the Pacific Northwest, or simply north of the Mason-Dixon line, you’re more likely than not gonna call it stuffing — and that’s a hard-line stance. Any well-respecting southerner will stick by the term dressing far more often than stuffing. The funny thing is regardless of the bread cubes being cooked in or out of the bird, most people don’t differentiate or change using those terms, regional terminologies outweigh culinary semantics.

Via: Flickr

Is there truly a better side dish? Well, that really depends on who you ask. Making stuffing, as in cooking it inside the bird, really does create a unique flavor you’re not going to get with baking alone. However, stuffing does come with its drawbacks, filling a bird increases the cooking time and tests the patience of your guests. Stuffing also has a higher risk of foodborne illness, so if you opt to stuff your bird make sure that both the bird and the stuffing read 165 degrees F on a thermometer.

The dressing is definitely an easier way to get food from the oven, onto the table, and into hungry mouths. However, dressing has more of a risk of drying out, so if you opt for this speedier method, add a little extra moisture to the breading mixture. Don’t worry, that long stint in the oven and the absorbent quality of bread will ensure a moist, not wet, stuffing.

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