Is This Really Michigan’s Most Popular Ice Cream Flavor?

If you live in Michigan, you probably have a highly specific, borderline-religious belief about what constitutes "good" ice cream. We are, after all, the state that boasts Moomers Homemade Ice Cream in Traverse City. This family-farm scoop shop has been called the best creamery in the state multiple times.

Also, starting on Thursday, Moomers will be competing in a big bracket-style competition to determine the best ice cream in America.

READ MORE: Moo-ville Creamery to Open 5th Michigan Location

Local icons like Hudsonville, Ashby's, Mooville, House of Flavors, and Moomers set the bar for ice cream pretty dang high. That's why a new national flavor study has me scratching my head.

Michigan's Favorite Is Cream Flavor Is...

According to a state-by-state breakdown published by Reader's Digest, Michigan's favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.

Strawberry? I mean, it's fine, but it is definitely a surprising choice for a state with such a rich history of original creations.

Latika Sarker via Unplash

So how did we end up with strawberry? This wasn’t decided by a nationwide taste test. Instead, researchers at Innerbody analyzed Google Trends search data from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., looking at which ice cream flavors people were searching for most often.

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From there, researchers compared interest levels to identify each state’s favorite flavor, along with broader trends in ice cream brands, regional preferences and America’s overall ice cream habits.

Based on that, strawberry ice cream won out in 15 states, including Michigan. Tying at second place are chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookie dough, which each took four states. See the full study here.

Why Search Volume Does Not Equal Scoop Purchases

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good scoop of cookie dough, but search data doesn't always equal what we actually eat. Plus only 21 flavors were included overall.

When Michiganders head to the scoop shop counter, seems natural we'd lean for the iconic regional classics that put us on the map.

Mooville Creamery via Facebook

The Real Contenders: Iconic Michigan Ice Cream Classics

While tere is some dispute about where these flavors 100 percent originated, the local lore and deep roots of these Michigan-inspired classics speak for themselves:

• Superman: As the story goes, this tri-color masterpiece of red, yellow, and blue was born in Detroit at Stroh Brewery during Prohibition. When beer was banned, they allegedly pivoted to dairy to keep the lights on.
• Moose Tracks: Legend has it this decadent vanilla, fudge, and peanut butter cup concoction was dreamed up in 1988 at a little parlor right next to a UP mini-golf course in Marquette.
• Michigan Pot Hole: Churned by Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream, this one was playfully created to help raise funds for state road repairs.
• Blue Moon: A West Michigan mystery flavor with roots in towns South Haven and Ludington. Nobody can agree on what the blue scoop actually tastes like. What do you think? Is it almond? Lemon? Marshmallow?

Whatever your flavor of choice is, we can all agree that an internet search algorithm is never going to capture the magic of a true Michigan scoop.