DES MOINES, Iowa – What convenience-store chain has just one store in each of the 50 states? And those stores are open for only about 10 days per year?
The answer is a state fair. While technically not a store, a fair functions like a convenience store that brings local citizens together and highlights food, beverages and snacks gathered in one place from every part of a state.
And just like a convenience store, a state fair is a snacker’s paradise. It’s where any food, no matter how unlikely, can be found “on a stick” and “deep fried”—and sometimes both. Deep-Fried Snickers bars, deep-fried Twinkies and deep-fried Oreos have become state-fair staples.
Highlighting these trends, the Iowa State Fair is holding its annual New Fair Food contest.
The 2015 candidates:
- Corn in a Cup. A heaping portion of grilled Iowa sweet corn cut straight off the cob. The best of Iowa’s corn crop is then mixed with pork chorizo, butter, chayote cheese, lime juice, sour cream, mayo and “Magic Dust,” the Corn Stand’s secret spice. It is considered the caviar of Iowa.
- Toasted Coconut Caramel Cluster. A combination of toasted coconut, caramel, fudge and bits of pretzel, frozen on a stick and freshly dipped in chocolate.
- Ultimate Bacon Brisket Bomb. Features eight ounces of fresh brisket trimmings infused with a light jalapeno cheese, blended with seasonings and then wrapped in bacon. It is then smoked and lightly sauced in a homemade sweet chili barbeque sauce. It is also gluten free.
The winner will be announced on August 18.
Other new foods in 2015 include:
- Apple Pie on a Stick
- Cattleman's Steak Fajita Wrap
- Chocolate Dipped Strawberries on a Stick
- Chocolate Marshmallow Malt Fair Square
- Bruschetta
- Deep-Fried Cherry Pie
- Deep-Fried Nacho Balls
- Donut Sundae
- Golden Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly on a Stick
- Gluten Free Corndog
- Kernel Kluster
- Pumpkin Spice Funnel Cake
- 27 Degree Super Chill Beer
Click here for a list of the the 75 foods available on a stick at the fair.
And speaking of voting, it being 2015, the Iowa State Fair is drawing special attention not only because of the usual snacks, but for politics, as presidential candidates used it to get out among the people as the 2016 election cycle picks up steam. Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and Republicans Jeb Bush and Donald Trump put in appearances in the key campaign state and sampled the food and drinks and let the fairgoers sample deep-fried politics on a stick.
Watch the video below of Jeb Bush (the only candidate to release a video by press time) at the Iowa State Fair. More candidates are expected to attend the fair this coming week.
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