For generations of Utahns, summer gatherings have meant more than sunshine, family reunions and backyard barbecues. They have also meant tables covered with familiar dishes that somehow taste even better when shared with friends, neighbors and extended family.

A new survey suggests that when Utahns think about the summer food that most feels like home, one dish rises above the rest: funeral potatoes.

The survey, commissioned by A Mission for Michael and conducted by Cherry Data Signals, asked 3,011 people about regional summer foods and the dishes that provide the strongest feelings of comfort, nostalgia and connection. Researchers identified the food that most “feels like home” in each state.

In Utah, funeral potatoes claimed the No. 1 spot, followed by Jell-O salad and fry sauce fries.

For residents of Sanpete County, the results may not come as much of a surprise.

Funeral potatoes are a familiar sight at everything from family reunions and holiday dinners to church gatherings, community celebrations and neighborhood potlucks. The casserole of potatoes, cheese and creamy sauce, usually finished with a crispy topping, is designed to feed a crowd — something that fits naturally into the food traditions of a county where community gatherings remain an important part of summer life.

Despite the name, funeral potatoes are hardly limited to funerals.

In Sanpete County, the same casserole that might appear at a luncheon following a funeral can just as easily find its way onto a table at a family reunion in the mountains, a ward activity, a Fourth of July gathering or a summer potluck.

And perhaps that is exactly why the dish ranked so highly.

It is not necessarily the potatoes themselves that make the dish nostalgic. It is the memories surrounding them.

A taste of Sanpete summers

Summer in Sanpete County has its own collection of food traditions. Family reunions, church activities, rodeos, fairs, community celebrations and backyard gatherings all provide opportunities for people to bring out recipes that have been made for years.

Many of those recipes are not written down in a cookbook. They are passed from one generation to another by watching a mother, grandmother or neighbor prepare them.

Funeral potatoes fit perfectly into that tradition.

The dish is relatively simple, but it is also adaptable. Some cooks use frozen hash browns, while others prefer diced or shredded potatoes. Some add cornflakes or potato chips for the topping, while others have their own family variation.

Ask several Sanpete County cooks for their recipe and there is a good chance each one will insist theirs is the right way to make it.

That is part of the charm.

The survey found that 57% of respondents said their family had a summer recipe that had been passed down through generations, demonstrating that the connection between food and family tradition extends well beyond Utah.

Jell-O salad, which ranked No. 2 in Utah, is another dish that could easily be found at a Sanpete summer gathering.

Brightly colored, cold and often filled with fruit, whipped topping or other additions, Jell-O salad has been a staple of Utah potlucks for decades. It is easy to prepare, easy to transport and serves plenty of people — three characteristics that make it nearly perfect for a community gathering.

And then there is fry sauce.

Utah’s No. 3 nostalgic summer food is perhaps the simplest of the three. A basket of hot fries paired with fry sauce can be found at restaurants and drive-ins throughout the state and has become a familiar part of Utah food culture.

For families traveling through Sanpete County during the summer, a stop for burgers and fries can become part of the vacation memory just as easily as a picnic in the mountains or a visit to a local fair.

Food and memories go together

The survey found that the emotional connection people have with food is considerable.

Twenty-six percent of respondents said their favorite summer comfort food was most strongly associated with happiness and enjoyment, while 22% associated it with a sense of home and 20% connected it to childhood nostalgia.

Another 15% associated their favorite dish with comfort and reassurance, while 10% said it created a connection with family.

Overall, 84% said eating a familiar summer dish improved their mood.

That may help explain why food traditions remain so important in communities such as Sanpete County.

A plate of food at a summer gathering can carry memories of people who prepared it years ago. A recipe can remind someone of grandparents, parents or childhood summers. Sometimes, the smell of a particular casserole coming out of the oven can take a person back decades in an instant.

The survey also found that 68% of respondents had attempted to recreate a summer dish because they missed home or someone close to them.

For people who have moved away from Utah, that might mean trying to recreate funeral potatoes, Jell-O salad or another family favorite.

For those who grew up in Sanpete County and have moved elsewhere, the food may be a reminder of home — whether that home was in Manti, Ephraim, Gunnison, Fairview, Mount Pleasant, Spring City, Moroni, Fountain Green, Sterling or one of the county’s smaller communities.

More than just food

The study also found that regional food can contribute to a person’s sense of identity.

One in five respondents said regional food was extremely important to their state pride, while 70% said they craved foods associated with their home state when they were away.

More than half said they would travel at least 11 miles for a summer dish that reminded them of home.

That idea is particularly relevant in rural Utah, where food and community traditions often overlap.

In Sanpete County, a summer event rarely revolves around just one activity. A fair, rodeo, reunion, concert or community celebration can quickly become an excuse to gather around a table.

The food becomes part of the event’s identity.

A recipe might not appear on a tourist brochure, but it can be just as memorable as the places people visit.

The survey’s findings suggest that is not unique to Utah.

Alabama respondents chose fried catfish, Georgia picked peach cobbler, Louisiana favored a crawfish boil, Massachusetts chose New England clam chowder and Missouri selected burnt ends.

Oklahoma’s favorite was chicken-fried steak, Tennessee chose pulled pork barbecue and Vermont selected its maple creemee.

Each dish tells a story about the place where it became popular — and about the people who continue to prepare and enjoy it.

The recipe is only part of the story

For Sanpete County residents, however, the most important ingredient in funeral potatoes may not be potatoes, cheese or sour cream.

It may be the people sitting around the table.

The casserole has earned its unusual name because of its longstanding association with meals served after funerals, but its presence at weddings, reunions, holidays, church functions and summer celebrations demonstrates that its story is ultimately about community.

It is food that is meant to be shared.

And perhaps that is why a survey asking Americans about nostalgic summer foods found a Utah dish so closely associated with gathering around a table at the top of the list.

Funeral potatoes may be humble, but they represent something much larger than a casserole.

They represent a neighbor bringing a dish to a gathering. A grandmother teaching a recipe to a grandchild. A family filling a picnic table. A community coming together when someone needs help. And a familiar taste that can make a person feel at home, even when home is miles away.

In Sanpete County, where summer still brings families and communities together around tables, ball fields, fairgrounds and church halls, that may be the best explanation for why funeral potatoes continue to hold such a special place in Utah’s culinary memory.

Sometimes nostalgia doesn’t require an elaborate recipe.

Sometimes it just requires a pan of potatoes and a table full of people.