NJ Food Shocker — Jersey Tomatoes Better than NJ Pizza

If you are among those who thought the 2020 election seemed fishy, just listen to this crazy upset.

In a recent online poll asking people to pick the best of ten iconic NJ foods, the Jersey tomato beat everything. Even pizza.

The poll was up for several days; we had hundreds of listeners cast votes.

The end result was the Jersey tomato with 28.85% of the vote, followed by Jersey pizza with 27.4%.

Come on. In what universe does a tomato, even a delicious Jersey tomato, have more appeal than Jersey pizza? Not only did it beat pizza, it beat pork roll egg and cheese; a food so New Jersey, it’s only heard of here.

That got 21.15%.

Almost as a sarcastic lark, I included saltwater taffy among the ten just to prove it would get the fewest votes. My prevailing theory on saltwater taffy is people buy it at the Jersey shore as a gift for others who then never eat the stuff.

Even there I was wrong; it came in 8th place. People ranked disco fries lower, and a Jersey-style sloppy Joe sandwich was dead last.

I mean come on, disco fries less popular than saltwater taffy? Have these people never been in a diner after the bars closed?

Thin-crust Jersey pizza less popular than a Jersey tomato? When’s the last time you overheard a passionate argument about who makes the best Jersey tomato? Or whether it’s acceptable to eat a tomato with a knife and fork? If there’s one thing New Jersey is famous for, it’s our almost cult-like appreciation for good pizza.

I’m not saying I’m going to call for fake electors and get Georgia on the phone, I’m just saying something doesn’t seem right here.