The Indiana State Fair, which has been going strong for 150 years now, is a huge event in Indianapolis, where it is held every year. While some traditions, like games, animals and bake-offs are still drawing crowds, the food that is for sale - particularly the fried food - is even more of a draw. The specialty of the Indiana State Fair happens to be deep-fried chocolate-covered strawberries, though some of the other offerings included deep fried sauerkraut and the ubiquitous deep fried Twinkies.
The fried strawberries are pictured above, kindly captured before consumption by a Flickr user and looking at the pile of fried berries, topped with even more berries, chocolate and whipped cream makes it easy to see why it's a popular fair food. But is it better than funnel cake? Better than deep fried snickers bars? What about a deep fried bacon double quarter pounder?
We all know that these foods aren't exactly health foods, but you have to admit that they are hard to resist at a fair. So tell us, what is your favorite fair food? And where can we get some?
8-23-2006 @1:09PM ben said... zeppolis (sp???), hands down. i know they're old skool and all, but sooooo good. fair perfection.
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8-23-2006 @1:27PM Chrissy said... - Zeppoles, from the boardwalk in Seaside Heights or Point Plesant.
- Ditto for Kohr Bros' Frozen Orange + White custard
- Huge, oversized pretzels
- Corn on the cob drenched in butter with the stalk-y stuff still on
- Fried veggie medley (zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower)
- Kettle Corn
- And, though not a food, lemonade from a huge vat--just squeezed!
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8-23-2006 @1:33PM calamari said... Nothing beats the Minnesota State Fair. My favorite there is the deep-fried lobster bits, but let's not forget mini-donuts! And you can get just about anything on a stick, including spaghetti.
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8-23-2006 @1:49PM Muse said... Beaver tail, of course! Don't know about the rest of Canada, but you can get it at Ontario Place in Toronto, the Metro Toronto Zoo and I'm sure various other places.
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8-23-2006 @2:04PM Amy said... Last time I was at the Indiana State Fair, the deep fried Oreo was my favorite. The cooking makes the Oreo squishy inside, as though it has been dipped in milk, and the fried dough on the outside tastes sort of like a donut. Awesome! And soooo healthy!
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8-23-2006 @2:27PM calamari said... Not knowing what a zeppole was, I looked it up:
http://home.comcast.net/~osoono/ethnicdoughs/zeppole/zeppole.htm
Gotta love a site called "fried doughs around the world."
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8-23-2006 @3:18PM December said... I agree, nothing beats the Minnesota state fair, proudly serving up the best fried oreos and mini-doughnuts.
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8-23-2006 @3:52PM LSP said... At the MidSouth Fair, here in good ole Memphis, TN, there is one vendor who sells Chicken on a Stick, but not just any old plain chicken on a stick - hers comes with onions AND pickles - so you essentially get a fried shish-ka-bob with chicken, pickles and onions. It is fantastic! That and the fried apple dumpling a la mode, which is a whole, cored apple, wrapped in dough, fried, covered with a cinnamon/sugar sauce and, of course, vanilla ice cream on the side. I also agree with the corn on the cob post...
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8-23-2006 @6:26PM Megan said... The Iowa State Fair beats all fairs, especially for food. Pork chop on a stick, meatballs on a stick, Cajun cheese on a stick, hot beef sundaes, deep-fried Oreos...
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8-24-2006 @3:09PM Brian said... Oh man that sounds kind of weird with a sundae that has beef, I guess it is like ice cream except with meat, maybe it is gravy like the chocolate? I do not really know how that would work (cherries are not good with meat probably), sometimes there are fairs here in town and you can get "gyro" (it has a good "flavor" but not when it is hot out side probably).
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8-31-2006 @6:13PM Lili said... Raspberry jam filled scones at the state fair in Puyallup, Washington are fantastic!
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8-25-2006 @11:51AM Jillian said... I'm a traditional gal. Nothing in the world beats a funnel cake, provided it's absolutely doused with powdered sugar. I will be covered in the sticky white stuff for the rest of the day, but it's totally worth it.
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8-31-2006 @10:36PM Sonya said... Here in Washington State we have some type of bread filled sandwich called a peroghi(sp?) that is sooo good. They are either baked or deep fried and filled with a beef & cheese mixture - like a sandwich.
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9-12-2006 @10:41PM crabby said... I'm a traditionalist. The quintessential Fair Food is Texas State Fair's "Fletcher's Corn Dogs". You can buy them in the store, but they're not even close to the same thing!
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