Top 10 Food Finds at the Iowa State Fair
This Sunday marked the conclusion of the 157th annual Iowa State Fair, known to downscale gourmands far and wide as the annual pinnacle of American eating. From cupcakes to astronauts, if it exists, you can bet the folks at the Iowa State Fair can grow it to an obscene size, deep-fry it and eat it off a stick, or of course, sculpt it out of butter.
10. The Butter Cow
A classic. Look at the detailed carving in that butter udder. Masterful work.
9. Frozen S’more on a Stick
Mmmm…a new era for desserts on a stick. Genius.
8. Giant Gourds
Anyone else think there’s something really creepy about this photo?
7. Rodent Cake
Another creepy one! Who wants a rodent on top of their cake? And this was a blue ribbon winner! What did the losing cakes look like??
6. Mystery Cake
Oh right. This is what the losing cakes looked like. Can anyone even begin to explain what is going on here??? Are those jalapenos? Chocolate covered hot dogs? Deep fried garbage?
5. Deep Fried Cupcake on a Stick
Ah, now this is a dessert we can get behind. What’s better than a Hostess chocolate cupcake? If you’ve been paying attention at all, you known the answer is obviously “a Hostess chocolate cupcake battered, placed on a stick, deep-fried, and covered in sugar.”
4. Chicken in a Jar
Also, vomit in my mouth.
3. Deep Fried Snickers Bar
An oldie but a goodie. Still hard to beat. Love that someone thought this needed added sugar on top.
2. Butter Neil Armstrong
Legendary butter sculptor Duffy Lyon originally planned to carve a butter Michael Jackson statue this year, which clearly would have been a lock for the number one spot. Unfortunately, prude Iowans (and PETA) voted down the dairy MJ idea and Duffy went with the less controversial butter moon landing instead. No King of Butter, but still pretty amazing.
1. Pork Chop on a Stick
Another year, another loss for the humble knife and fork. Sorry, utensils, but you will never, ever, beat stick and teeth.
Previously on ES: The Top 10 Foods Only America Could Have Invented
(Photos: MsPatt, c r i s, Vanhookc, Slappy the Seal, kirkmwilkins, Heather Lucille, Simplerich, Linksman JD)
Oh, yes, the giant pumpkins are scary. They remind me very much of the people featured in TLC specials like “Half-Ton Teen,” who are always shown oozing across their beds covered only by a sheet, because they’re too fat to stand up or wear clothes. Terrifying. But not nearly so scary as that cake. WTF? Who DOES that to food? Betty Crocker would be rolling in her grave, if she was real (and dead).
Were there also busts of Beauty Queens from each Iowa county whose faces had been carved in butter (because if that wasn’t present, Iowa doesn’t have anything on Minnesota!) ?
God…. this almost makes me miss the midwest….
planning on visiting the minnesota state fair?? anything you can imagine on a stick
Almost makes me want to make a trip to my local state fair…almost…I think that Mystery Cake did me in (maybe those are pickles? shudder).
Aww…memories. How about the Minnesota state fair delight “Spudzza!” A potato pizza fair booth that grew into a Grand Avenue icon. Where magic happens.
My parents did recently to express their delight at having their annual Viking meatball at the Montana state fair. Because who doesn’t need 1 lb. of fried beef, pork, and veal on a stick???
Hey, I’ve been told canned chicken is really yummy.
In fact, my friend who has chickens was trying to get me to do it with her last summer when we snagged a pressure canner, but then her chickens wound up elsewhere. I don’t remember where. But she didn’t have extra chickens to use up somehow.
I tell a terrible story, I know.
yummie Food……
I know it’s bad for us but that snickers bar looks really good!
Rodent Cake… LOL
At the Minnesota State Fair it’s Walleye on a Stick. Only one source though – in the food building – but it’s well worth the quest.
why do these people keep yakking about the minnesota state fair, which is so obviously inferior? maybe michele bachmann will be there to announce that god has asked her to run for pope of crazytown. minnesota sux.
I would like to inform my bacon loving friends that at the Wisconsin State Fair you can get Chocolate covered bacon on a stick….
EEWW, people over there actually eat this shit, no wonder your all fat…
Veriphos,
If your going to be rude, don’t say anything at all… Grow up.
State fair food is so much fun and an adventure too! NC State Fair is coming up soon….
So if I understand correctly, any unhealthy thing, deep fried and stuck on a stick becomes instant iconic fair food? I don’t get the whole “state fair” thing anyway, but this fried food thing is just strange.
What’s wrong with canned chicken? It’s the tuna of the land.