State dessert poll: Key lime takes the cake
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Maura Losch/Axios
The results are in.
State of pie: Despite the ongoing efforts of Rep. Lawrence McClure (R-Dover) and Sen. Danny Burgess (R- Zephyrhills) to make strawberry shortcake Florida's official state dessert, our reader poll showed an overwhelming preference for our current sugary state symbol.
- 77% of the 516 readers who responded picked Key lime pie over strawberry shortcake.
Note: McClure and Burgess, who didn't respond to Axios' request for comment, aren't trying to remove Key lime as the state pie. They just want strawberry shortcake to get a seat at the table as the official state dessert.
- Still, while many of you appreciate the effort to recognize our strawberry farmers, you want to stick to what we're known for.
What you're saying: "When you think of Key lime, you think of Florida. Simple as that," one voter wrote.
- "Jimmy Buffet did not relocate to Key West for strawberry shortcake. He desires Key lime pie and margaritas!" wrote another.
But wait: Many of you voted for Key lime pie because you believe Key limes are native to Florida. That they are not.
- Key limes are the same thing as Mexican limes, which, you guessed it, are grown in Mexico.
- They got their name for the lime groves in the Florida Keys that dominated the market in the early 1900s, but that only lasted about 30 years before a hurricane wiped the plants out.
- Key limes are still grown here today, though most are actually imported from Mexico.