by Visit Ventura
Featured image by Felix Cortez
The Ventura County Fair is just around the corner and for a lot of fair-goers, fair food is half the fun. These are the top 10 fair foods in the USA, as listed by Time Magazine.
Deep fried everything
The unwritten fair motto seems to be ‘If you can fry it, you can eat it!’ Every year vendors have new concoctions for fairgoers to get their fingers greasy with. Examples of deep fried goodies from past fairs include Oreos, pineapple, watermelon, and those irresistible mini donuts. New items coming this year include spiral fries with hot Cheetos among many others.
Image by Hayden Berger
Funnel Cake
Whether you know it as strauben in Germany, flancati in Slovenia, tippaleipa in Finland, jalebi in India, or funnel cake in the USA, this delicious golden brown dessert topped with powdered sugar is a must at the fair.
Image by Manisha B.
Pie
Depending on how much of a pie aficionado you are, fairs often provide the opportunity to join pie eating or tasting contests -a tradition dating back to the early 1900s. After all, choosing the best filling is hard to do with just one slice.
Image by Stephanie
Caramel Apples
It starts out as a healthy piece of fruit, but soon it’s transformed into a deliciously sweet, refreshing and crunchy treat, perfect for summer fairs. There are tons of toppings to choose from. Feel free to be adventurous or stay traditional with caramel or candy apples.
Image by Neil Conway
Cotton candy
Who knew that if you spin sugar fast enough, you’d get Fairy Floss? It’s like biting into a tiny colorful cloud. Beware: you’re bound to get a little sugar high on these.
Image by Roco Julie
The Bizarre
With fair foods one thing’s for sure, you’ve never seen it all. Among past wacky concoctions are the Krispy Kreme burger, Kool-Aid pickles, hot beef Sunday, chocolate-covered corn dog, or deep fried ice cream. A tummy ache may follow.
Image by Urbanfoodie33
Corn on the cob
Once you’ve had your fill of sugar, you can switch to a potentially healthy savory favorite. Corn on the cob is a staple of summer and a fair favorite. And if you go easy on the salt and butter, you can eat it guilt-free.
Image by Carl Campbell
Elephant ears
Put simply, fried flattened dough topped with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Known as an elephant ear or a beaver tail because of it’s shape and size, this fair favorite is often much more than enough for a single person but is addictive and not easy to share.
Image by Jodimichelle
Corn dogs
It doesn’t get much more American than corn dogs. This wiener on a stick covered in a thick layer of deep-fried cornmeal batter is easy to handle and makes a great mess-free snack for the fair. Did you know corn dogs are so popular that there’s even a National Corndog Day?
Image by Bob B. Brown
Food on a stick
Following in the corn dog footsteps, why not try pickles on a stick? Or, a skewered peanut-butter and jelly sandwich? Perhaps, cheesecake on a stick? No real limits to creativity with these snacks. Go nuts.
