State Fair Food

[slbunge]

We went to the Minnesota State Fair ...

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Dude, you should have called.

I went last weekend. I have no photos but I had cheese curds, a falafel (from King of Falafel), deep fried pickles, and a deep fried twinkie on a stick. Washed it all down with a couple of beers and got to hear Brave Combo pump up the jams. A swell day.

[slbunge]

A friend just returned from a trip to Wisconsin and told me about their visit to the WI State Fair and the giant cream puffs.

Look here for a photo: http://weblog.textdrive.com/images/39.jpg

I want to try cheese curds, regular or fried.

"Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy."

Has anyone been to the State Fair in New Mexico (Albuquerque)?

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I grew up in Wisconsin and the state fair fried cheese curds are as emilyr describes them. You have to be a bit careful because the best of these items are actual curd that is battered and fried. As opposed to just hunks of cheese (typically mozzarella).

The best raw cheese curds are served at room temperature for maximum squeak. They are also quite salty. Best when they aren't more than a day old.

[Davydd]

We went to the Minnesota State Fair and sampled many foods including the cheese curds, the giant breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, cream puffs, kettle popcorn and the Ole & Lena's new Hotdish on a stick. That all was more than enough. No corn dogs or Pronto pups. 

I wonder if maybe "Ole" is the same person as from Sven & Ole's Pizza from Two Harbors?

SB (it boggles the mind)

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Uffda! What would Sven say if Ole went to the fair with Lena and left him behind?

[ludja]

Has anyone been to the State Fair in New Mexico (Albuquerque)?

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Yes, I have gone to the NM State Fair many times over the past 20 years. It is great fun, both in terms of people watching and in terms of activities. I absolutely have to go to the Bolack Building every year, which is the vegetable exhibition area. The Bolack Farms have a huge exhibit every year, behind a big plate glass window, of the most astonishingly beautiful produce I have ever seen. Children like the Future Farmers barn where they have quite cute baby farm animals and children can vote on their favorites.

There is some good music at the fair. too, spanning a wide range of music types. I once heard a Navajo flute concert there that held a large crowd spellbound and silent for many minutes.

The food is not terrific to my palate, but my family love the roast corn and the turkey legs.

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ludja,

I went last year (and will probably go again this year - we have a very late fair, in the last week(s) of September...), and tried the infamous fried Oreos.  Disgusting!  I had optimistic visions of a light batter barely covering a hot and melty Oreo filling, but rather it was a tennis-ball sized lump of tasteless dough fried around the poor affected cookie.  Hmph. 

However, we do have PIES TO DIE FOR, made by real church ladies!  Make way for me, sour cream & raisin.... 

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Cherry-peach pie.

Plus, this year there is a grilled cheese eating contest.... hmm. 

Andrea

http://foodpart.com

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Thanks Petrissage and misstenacity...

I don't think I'll make it out there at the right time this year, but thanks for sharing some of your experiences. I've heard of the roasted corn and turkey legs being a staple. Those pies look fantastic! I guess another regional specialty might be Navajo fry bread. I wondered if they did anything creative with green chile...

[ludja]

Schneier just posted on a new creation at the North Carolina State Fair... fried coke.

Fried Coke

Hmmm... the fried stuff is fun in an outrageous way, but hopefully, if it's not too late already, State Fair food doesn't all evolve to only this. I guess it is easier to fry up a new creation rather than make something like a homemade pie...

[lemniscate]

Some pics of the food from the 2006 Alaskan State Fair. We went heavy on the seafood. No disappointments.

Halibut Cheeks

Husband got into the bacon wrapped scallops before I could take the picture

My first ever Cheese Curds, had never heard of them before this eGullet thread. The other item is a porkchop on a stick which Husband loved.

And, in the tradition of the Alaskan Giant Vegetable Contest.....BIG Kohlrabi!

They were just setting up the display, so there weren't that many giants on display yet.

Edited October 12, 2006 by lemniscate (log)

[Mel Altenderfer]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Deep Fried Double Bacon Cheeseburger.

http://www.danamania.com/burger/

Edited October 13, 2006 by Mel Altenderfer (log)

[rooftop1000]

I almost forgot

As seen at THE BIG E

tracey

[natasha1270]

Last weekend, we had a good time at the Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival. They were making and selling fresh pork rinds, caramel apples, apple slices with caramel, apple cider, fried apples and apple butter doughnuts (really good!) along with the usual suspects: funnel cake, ice cream, etc.

On the way out, I picked up some local wildflower honey and a few jars of graves mountain apple butter, applesauce, red pepper jelly, quince jelly, cantaloupe/peach jam and watermelon rind pickles as well as the bag of apples we picked.

All in all, a good time.

N.

[DeVeaux]

I get to go to the Kansas State Fair for 3 days every year for work - I am a State employee, and help staff our Department's booth to pass out fridge magnets and consumer literature and meet the pubic. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it

This year, the big nw taste sensation was the deep fried cheese curds. I was too cheap to pony up $6 to try a small container of these babies, so I can't tell you what they tasted like. They did appear to be selling well, though.

I generally stick with a couple of Pronto Pups, and eat my meals at the food places run by the local churches from Hutchinson. The Lady of Guadalupe booth has great Mexican food, and the Methodist one has chicken and noodles with homemade noodles. All their food is made by the parishoners and beats the midway carny food.

Edited October 23, 2006 by DeVeaux (log)

[judiu]

I get to go to the Kansas State Fair for 3 days every year for work - I am a State employee, and help staff our Department's booth to pass out fridge magnets and consumer literature and meet the pubic.  It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it

This year, the big nw taste sensation was the deep fried cheese curds. I was too cheap to pony up $6 to try a small container of these babies, so I can't tell you what they tasted like.  They did appear to be selling well, though.

I generally stick with a couple of Pronto Pups, and eat my meals at the food places run by the local churches from Hutchinson.  The Lady of Guadalupe booth has great Mexican food, and the Methodist one has chicken and noodles with homemade noodles.  All their food is made by the parishoners and beats the midway carny food.

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Thou shalt not dis the carnies! That was my love and livlihood for many years... :

[rooftop1000]

Greetings All

On August 10 or 11th we are leaving for Vacation from NJ. After scrapping our rough plans for the Iowa State Fair and or Nova Scotia...or maybe still the Fair, or maybe Vermont and Montreal.....

Start listing your states Food Fairs and Festivals being held between August 11 and 18th and lets plan a vacation

We had best stick to East of the Mississippi what with gas prices and all

thank you

Tracey

[miladyinsanity]

What do you mean when you say that the cheeses squeak?

I keep imagining rubbery cheese that squeaks when you bite into it, but that can't be right. eGers surely have better taste than to eat rubbery cheese...

[emilyr]

What do you mean when you say that the cheeses squeak?

I keep imagining rubbery cheese that squeaks when you bite into it, but that can't be right. eGers surely have better taste than to eat rubbery cheese...

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It's unpressed curd, so still full of bubbles. You only get the squeak in "raw," not fried cheese curds, and only in real curds, not just crumbled cheese.

[miladyinsanity]

What do you mean when you say that the cheeses squeak?

I keep imagining rubbery cheese that squeaks when you bite into it, but that can't be right. eGers surely have better taste than to eat rubbery cheese...

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It's unpressed curd, so still full of bubbles. You only get the squeak in "raw," not fried cheese curds, and only in real curds, not just crumbled cheese.

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That makes sense now. Thanks!

[snowangel]

The Fahning family heads to the Great Minnesota State Fair tomorrow. This will be the 30th year in a row that Paul and I have attended together.

But, in prep for the fair, I checked out the New Food section of the web site.

Lots of new stuff on a stick -- Coca Cola cheesecake dipped in chocolate, sloppy joes (might be worth a try; it can't be any worse than last years hot dish on a stick), scone on a stick (not that much of a stretch), batter-dipped deep fried fruit on a stick, dixie wings on a stick, corned beef and cabbage dipped in batter on-a-stick (I'm assuming that this is deep fried), and butterscotch cake (cream filled dipped in butterscotch) on-a-stick. For some reason, new last year but missed by me was macaroni and cheese on a stick.

There's also the peanut butter hotdog (!), deep-fried crumb coated apple fries (potential there), pork knuckle sandwich (even more potential), kool aid pickles (I'm dubious), Uffda Brat (Norwegian sausage wrapped in a potato lefse) and BLP quesadilla (bacon, lettuce and picodegallo).

So, just what should I eat for a quick and small breakfast to prepare me for this Festival of Fried Foods?

[suzilightning]

how about koolickle(what the koolade pickle was called in Alton Brown's River Run episode last night), corn dog and the mac and cheese on a stick?

[rooftop1000]

I missed the fair but I did have a cool aid pickle back in June...it wasnt terrible

Have Fun

tracey

[Davydd]

A Great Day at the 2007 Minnesota State Fair

The great Minnesota get together 2007 State Fair was in its third day of twelve and it was our day to go along with probably a record horde of people. Friday's crowd was over 129,000. Today's crowd (Saturday) on about as perfect of a day you could imagine had to best that by a wide margin.

Knowing from experience it would be a busy day we decided to go early. We arrived just after 8 AM and already the lots were filling up. We decided to try breakfast at one of the many church dining halls. We chose the Hamline Church Dining Hall and had their "Hamline Egger" of scrambled eggs, ham & cheese on toasted english muffin along with hash browns and a bottomless mug of coffee.

We then proceeded over to the animal barn area hoping to visit the Miracle of Birth Center before it got too crowded. Yep, too crowded.

They had several flat screen TV monitors so you could watch and most were focused on a cow ready to give birth which gave us a chance to slide in a see this just born little piglet.

We proceeded on to the Swine Barn to see the traditional largest boar. This one weighed in at 1,200 pounds.

There was all kinds of 4H animal judging going on including dairy cows in the Coliseum, and rabbits in the sheep and poultry barn but this one got our attention. Young ladies with lambs were being judged along with the wool derived outfits they made.

After further walks through the Cattle Barn and the Horse Barn we ventured over to Heritage Square, a kind of country arts and crafts place. There we found the Cheesecake on a stick food stand. This is cheesecake drizzled with Coca Cola syrup, an interesting concoction that actually works. We shared this one anticipating more food to come.

Outside Heritage Square is the Sky Ride gondola that traverses east and west.

There is another called the Sky Glider that takes you north and south on the fair grounds.

The Sky Ride took us to the Agriculture Building where Minnesota food products were featured. Crop Art is one of the most popular features in that building and this blue ribbon winner seems appropriate for this topic.

We started venturing west again and the crowd had started to grow.

We made it to the Empire Commons Building to check out the ongoing Princess Kay of the Milky Way busts butter sculptures. The Princess and 11 other finalist each have a day spending 6-8 hours of sitting.

The next stop was the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources one of our favorite places. First off is the ever popular pool of fish.

We collected our share of DNR handouts on controlling buckthorn, planting prairie grasses and trees, and camping and trails. We then climbed the 65 ft. fire tower to get a bead on our next stop - the Grandstand.

Below the seating area are two levels of vendor exhibits featuring beef jerky, clothing, signs, shoes, furniture, gourmet cookware, you name it, and this.

Which reminded us we were here for the food and lots of food on a stick. Outside the Grandstand even fried fruit on a stick (sorry no picture of the actual food).

We decided it was time for lunch so we headed back east to the Food Building. On our way I shot photos of Sweet Martha's Cookies, a very popular choice, and a tray of the Original Cheese Curds (since 1975) other attendees so graciously volunteered since we had our minds set on other fare and had both in the past.

When we got to the Food Building we found it wall to wall with people and long lines.

Regardless, I had to find the Walleye on a Stick for an appetizer and managed to get one without too much trouble.

We then headed north to our food destinations. We walked but, after about 5 hours, we kind of wished we had this transportation even if we had to pedal.

Nancy went to the Gizmo stand and got the Gizmo sandwich of ground beef and Italian sausage with special sauce and seasonings, covered with melted mozzarella cheese and served on a toasted Italian roll. Andrew Zimmern (Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods) on a talk radio show said this was the best sandwich at the fair.

My favorite place is Giggle's Campfire Grille where they serve Walleye Cakes, Walleye Fries, Chicken Sticks, Porcupine Meatballs, Smoked Salmon on a Stick, Smoked Chicken Wings, Foot Long Walleye Sandwiches, Big Game Bratwurst and Elk Burgers (my choice for the day) along with a cool draft of Summit Extra Pale Ale.

By that time we were exhausted and half-heartedly walked through the Fine Arts, 4H and Education Buildings and then headed out after 8 hours to meet the owners of Roadhouse Bar-B-Que Sauce, and what else but to go to dinner.

[viva]

Great photos! I might have chosen the Pedal Pub, myself, dealing with those crowds. How was the Elk Burger? I wonder what a Porcupine Meatball tastes like...

That boar has a very large...protuberance...at the back there.

I have to wait until October 12-21 for the North Carolina State Fair. I can't find any food details online to map out my strategy. <grr>

[suzilightning]

A Great Day at the 2007 Minnesota State Fair

Regardless, I had to find the Walleye on a Stick for an appetizer and managed to get one without too much trouble.

walleye ... i want walleye..............

[srhcb]

I wonder what a Porcupine Meatball tastes like...

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I doubt if the Porcupine Meatballs were actually made from porcupine meat, even here in Minnesota.

In any case, my friend Big Lou, who's part Ojibway, says his grandmother used to cook porcupine, and that it is a dark, rather dry meat with quite a pronounced "gamey" flavor, much like wild duck.

He says it was "not too bad", but it tasted best when ground with an equal amount of fatty pork and made into sausage.

We thought it might be interesting to use a ground porcupine/pork mixture and wild rice to make REAL Porcupine Meatballs!

Edited August 27, 2007 by srhcb (log)

[Davydd]

Correct! Not really porcupine but it gets your attention. It is mostly Elk burger. Here is the description from the menu.

[viva]

Hmph. I just thought y'all got more interesting stuff in Minnesota...

Having said that, the "Porcupine" elk meatballs sound kind of tasty.

[srhcb]

Having said that, the "Porcupine" elk meatballs sound kind of tasty.

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Indeed they do!

Perhaps these should be called "Mock Porcupine Meatballs", although any dog can tell you it's not a good idea to mock porcupines!

I'll have to tell Big Lou to be on the alert for a plump porcupine when he starts wild rice harvesting this week!