Summer is officially here, and that means a few other things are here too, like swimming, family vacations and long, lazy days with lots of sunshine. But most of all, state fairs selling fried food.
Most people know that when it comes to frying things, state fairs are like international waters – they fall under no jurisdiction that can tell them what they can or can’t fry. Freed of such statutes and, perhaps more importantly, good taste, a lot of stuff gets deep-fried that you would never, ever imagine.
Most people who have attended a state fair or two in their lives know this to be true and have seen such delicacies as fried Twinkies, fried sticks of butter and, of course, the corn dog. As it turns out, these foods are old hat, and a bumper crop of new items are being breaded and flash fried at this very moment. Here’s a look at some of the more exotic, outlandish, and just plain weird things that you can eat in deep-fried form at a state fair.
Image Credit: Minnesota State Fair Instgram.
1. Fried Pickles
Fried pickles are not a new thing. Indeed, none other than Elvis Presley himself was a big fan, and he enjoyed chowing down on them when he wasn’t busy shooting his television set or trying on capes.
Still, they may be new to people who don’t go to state fairs every year, and as odd fried foods go, the fried pickle is not that odd when it comes to taste. So, try the fried pickle, a ground-floor opportunity to expand your fried-food palette.
Image Credit: Minnesota State Fair Instgram.
2. Deep Fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
This is another one that you may have heard of before but might not have had the opportunity to try. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter on its own is pretty sinful, but here it’s deep fried.
Remember to get plenty of napkins when you decide to try this. The combination of high temperatures plus chocolate and peanut butter will get messy, as delicious as it is.
Image Credit: Minnesota State Fair Instgram.
3. Fried Oreos
You might want to keep those napkins handy for this one too. While not as explosive a mess as fried peanut butter and chocolate, the cream filling in a fried Oreo will generally liquefy and may cause problems for those wearing dark clothing.
Having said that, as long as you’re going to ruin your shirt, this is a delectable way of doing it. You’ll even have a great story to tell people who ask you how you got that stain.
Image Credit: Florida State Fairgrounds Instagram.
4. Nutella Oreo Crumble Funnel Cake
As long as you’re okay with Oreo stains on your shirt, why not go one step further and try the Nutella-Oreo crumble funnel cake sold at the Minnesota State Fair? It’s covered with powdered sugar, as befits anything “funnel,” and eating it will definitely pose logistical challenges to those hoping not to look like slobs to onlookers.
Technically speaking, this might not fit the description of a deep-fried food, since it’s really just a funnel cake covered in crushed Oreos and drizzled with Nutella. However, since the funnel cake is itself a deep-fried delicacy, we’re including it anyway.
Image Credit: Minnesota State Fair Instgram.
5. Deep Fried Strawberry Pop Tart
Pop Tarts in their original state are pretty good on their own, even if you don’t put them in the toaster. However, if you’re going to eat them after subjecting them to high temperatures, you might as well go all the way and deep-fry them.
Generally, the most common variety of deep-fried Pop Tart seems to be strawberry. That’s the kind pictured here, and it’s been sprinkled with powdered sugar and extra strawberry sauce, just in case you’re worried it won’t be sweet enough.
Image Credit: North Carolina State Fair Facebook.
6. Deep Fried Mini Scones
These deep-fried mini scones come from the French Meadow Bakery, and are available at the Minnesota State Fair. The business has helpfully dubbed them “sconuts,” perhaps hoping to capitalize on the consumer mania that occurred in response to the cronut.
The sconut is a miniature, deep-fried scone filled with chocolate, marshmallow, and nutella. And since the word “scone” is involved in the description, you can get away with calling it a breakfast food!
Image Credit: Minnesota State Fair Instgram.
7. Fried Ravioli
In the event that you’re not getting enough carbohydrates, you can remedy this problem at the Minnesota State Fair. Simply stroll up to the appropriate concession and have them sell you a heaping helping of fried ravioli.
Sure, fried pasta is probably very bad for you, and any doctor with as much as a mail-order degree could probably tell you so. On the flipside, we all just survived a plague, so who cares if you want to treat yourself?
Image Credit: Minnesota State Fair Instgram.
8. Deep Fried Ribs
You know what the best thing about ribs is? They’re ribs! Most of the time there’s very little you can do to enhance the experience of eating ribs, because how can you enhance perfection?
Apparently, you enhance perfection by throwing it in the deep fryer. These deep-fried ribs embody enhanced perfection, and there’s even the little bit of bone sticking out to hold them by.
Image Credit: Minnesota State Fair Instagram.
9. Fried Collard Greens
Here’s a neat one. Collard greens are a staple of southern cuisine, and on their own they’re pretty hard to beat. But as a fried food, it hasn’t been used very much.
Chef Cassy, whose creations are sold at the Texas State Fair, is the mastermind behind this special treat. So order some fried collard greens, and see if you can get her to whip up her deep-fried alligator eggs while you’re there.
Image Credit: Chef Cassy Jones Instagram.
10. Fried Cheesecake Treats
Some of the fried creations on offer at state fairs are comically huge, and their sheer size may be off-putting to those who might otherwise be inclined to try them. Well, the fried cheesecake treats at the South Carolina State Fair are a lot smaller than the average fried state fair monstrosity, so maybe give them a shot.
Naturally, cheesecake itself is not exactly healthy and deep-frying it does nothing to change that. However, if you’re going to a state fair, chances are it’s already a cheat-on-your-diet day, so make it count.
Image Credit: South Carolina State Fair Instagram.
11. Fried Mini Cinnamon Roll Pops
As long as we’re frying things like bread, sugar, and cake, why not fry cinnamon rolls? They’re not just for when you finish your trip to Ikea, and with frying technology at its apex, you don’t have to suffer the indignity of eating them in an un-fried state.
These goodies are available at the South Carolina State Fair. We haven’t tried them ourselves, but since they’re cinnamon rolls and they’re fried, we’re going to go way out on a limb and predict that they’re probably good.
Image Credit: South Carolina State Fair Instagram.
12. Fried Frog Legs
Frog legs are a culinary delight to many. To others, the concept of eating them is a non-starter. After all, frogs are not on the chicken-fish-beef-pork spectrum of foods that the general public considers an acceptable food source, so many people turn their noses up at the dish.
As many of us know, those people are missing out, so here’s your chance to sway them. Just slip them one of these fried frog legs and watch them abandon their previous archaic and outmoded way of thinking.
Image Credit: North Carolina State Fair Instagram.
13. Deep Fried Cadbury Crème Eggs
Easter candy, such as the Marshmallow Peep, is divisive. People love it or hate it, with no gray areas to speak of. There is perhaps no Easter candy that better fits this description than the Cadbury Crème Egg, which is either a diabolically indulgent treat or a cloying ball of goo, depending on your perspective.
Deep-frying the Crème Egg may not be enough to rehabilitate the haters’ attitude towards it, but if you’re not a hater, then that means more fried Cadbury Crème Eggs for you! So skip breakfast – and probably lunch too – and get to the North Carolina State Fair, stat!
Image Credit: North Carolina State Fair Instagram.
14. Deep Fried Gummy Bears
Much like cheesecake and ribs, the Gummy Bear is a perfect food that most people would say requires no further enhancement. Be that as it may, you can get them deep-fried at the North Carolina State Fair just the same.
As is the case with the fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, the heat used to make this will at least partially liquefy the candy. So, when you bite into one, you might be surprised by the texture, which is nothing like the chewy consistency of the Gummy Bear in its natural state.
Image Credit: North Carolina State Fair Instagram.
15. Fried Cookie Dough Oreo
So, you’ve tried fried Oreos. And while you enjoyed them and would eat them again, you may feel that they could use a little something extra. If that’s the case, you should report directly to the Texas State Fair and get the fried cookie dough Oreo.
This particular specimen was photographed by Instagram user delaniewood, who gave the following review in a sort of haiku form. “Fried cookie dough Oreo // I’m in heaven // I’m also feeling substantially gross.”
Image Credit: delaniewood Instagram.
16. Fried Spam
Few foods have been as openly and freely maligned as the canned luncheon meat Spam. We even named our unwanted emails after it. So, what can anyone possibly hope to do to it to make it palatable and win rave reviews?
The answer is “fry it.” At least that’s the answer according to Instagram user spunkyginger23, who ate fried Spam at the Minnesota State Fair and gave it the social media equivalent of a high Michelin guide rating. “Fried SPAM – this is not a joke – and it’s delicious!!!”
Image Credit: spunkyginger23 Instagram.
17. Fried PB & J and Banana Sandwich
Just like shooting at the television set to register displeasure with the programming, Elvis Presley was also said to be a fan of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Whether that’s true or not, the concept has taken hold and today the internet is festooned with recipes for the sandwich, all of which credit him for popularizing it.
If you go to the Texas State Fair, you can go one better than the King by getting the fried PB & J and banana sandwich, which is basically the same thing, just with jelly on it also. According to Instagram user laina, who has a verified checkmark and everything, it’s “SO good. SO worth it.” Emphasis hers.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: laina Instagram.
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