What’s America’s Favorite Condiment? It Isn’t Ketchup or Ranch

This is going to sound crazy, but ketchup and ranch dressing aren’t even in the top five!

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A new survey by the market research company YouGov has figured out which condiments Americans are slathering on their favorite foods. And I was expecting it to be either ketchup or ranch dressing, admittedly because I have to refill mine on a weekly basis.

Now, there’s something you have to take into account: The survey used a pretty broad definition of “condiment,” which they defined as any “shelf-stable dressings, spreads, and toppings people typically keep at home and add to food for extra flavor.” And that included a few things that some might not think of as condiments, for example…  

The winner is…peanut butter?

Yep, 44% of surveyed Americans love peanut butter and another 35% liked it. Now, I’ll admit I don’t tend to think of peanut butter as a condiment, but more of a… well, way of life, actually. But it definitely fits the survey’s definition, and I’ve certainly added it on top of other foods to add more flavor. I guess it’s also just about the only condiment that it’s socially acceptable to eat right out of the jar. (Or at least, I hope so.)

The rest of the top five were: honey, salsa, barbecue sauce, and chocolate sauce. Ketchup was all the way at sixth, and ranch dressing—the punchline of many jokes about American’s love of food—was ninth. Who would’ve guessed?

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go devour an entire jar of Skippy. (For research purposes, of course.)