Katherine Zehnder
Carolina Journal
The North Carolina State Fair opens Thursday, Oct 17 at noon, with 72 new foods offered this year.
Media members had a chance for a sneak peek, or taste, and cast votes for their favorite new foods in each of two categories: sweet or savory.
The “Granny Cone” by Magdalena’s Chimney Cakes was voted the best in the sweet category. The cone is a freshly baked chimney cake, filled with a scope of buttery corn cake, layered with maple bacon ice cream, sprinkled with corn flakes, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. A chimney cake is a Hungarian pastry made from sweet dough spiraled around a wooden roll and baked rotisserie-style over an open flame.
Magdalena’s will also offer affogato this year, which is a shot of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream.
In the savory category, the winner was the Jerk Pork Belly Bao by Cool Runnings Jamaican. It features tender, slow-cooked jerk pork belly in a fluffy bao with a zesty vegetable mix.
CJ’s Picks
Monster Tots
These crispy jumbo tater tots are stuffed with massive flavor. Three times the size of an average tot, they are stuffed with either buffalo chicken or bacon cheddar and chive fillings from Hot Chix Hotcakes and Chicken.
Bacon Cheeseburger Corn Dog
Brought to you by the Pioneer Wagon from Iowa, burger and cheddar cheese are hand-dipped in corn dog batter and topped with cheese and real bacon. The Pioneer Wagon told the Carolina Journal that they came all the way down from Iowa because “this is one of the best state fairs.”
Birthday Cake Cookie Dough On A Stick
From Kora’s & Mila’s Cookie Dough: Handcrafted cake batter cookie dough dipped in a birthday cake confetti coating and sprinkled with rainbow sprinkle
They also have white chocolate cranberry cookie dough on a stick, handcrafted with cinnamon swirl cookie dough mixed with creamy white chocolate and tart-dried cranberries. Both flavors are good, but the birthday cake is a CJ staff favorite!
The Strawberry Daiquiri Crunch from Boozie Bakes is a moist strawberry cake baked with white zinfandel wine, topped with strawberry shortcake crumble and a strawberry daiquiri drizzle.
Another sweet treat is the “Minne Cookie Dough Pie” from The Original Minneapple Pie. This pie is deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough wrapped in a light, flaky crust. It is served with your choice of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.
A refreshing seasonal treat at this year’s state fair is the “Summerween Slush” by Moose Joose Slush. This is a refreshing orange creamsicle slush served in a jack-o-lantern cup with whipped cream in the center, topped with a whole creamsicle popsicle, more whipped cream, and orange cookie crumble. This drink comes with a Halloween-themed duck. This refreshing seasonal drink will rejuvenate the soul on a hot day at the NC State Fair.
Another noteworthy new food is the deep-fried BBQ ribs by Lawrence and Perry BBQ LLC. These deep-fried baby back ribs are hand-tossed in various sauces, including BBQ sauce, lemon pepper, Carolina gold, and sweet chili jerk. A North Carolina area code inspires each flavor.
Fairgoers looking for a healthier option at this year’s state fair should try the “Kale Me Shawarma” from Neomonde Mediterranean. The dish has a base of sweet potato fries topped with beef and lamb shawarma, pickled red onion, feta crumbles, kale crisps, and house-made beet barbecue sauce.
If fairgoers are looking for more of a meal and less of a sweet or savory snack, the pineapple bowl by Brazilian Bowls is a healthy, hearty option. It has a base of rice or gaucho fries, your choice of charcoal chicken or Brazilian steak, island shrimp, black beans, and corn. Extra toppings can be added, including pic de gallo, chimichurri, cheese, pineapple spicy sauce, and homemade sour cream.
Brazilian Bowls will also offer an acai and dragon fruit bowl, an acai bowl featuring fresh fruit, including dragon fruit, bananas, strawberries and blueberries.
A complete list of new foods coming to the year’s state fair can be found here. This year’s state fair will also feature a variety of new rides and entertainment.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler joked that if anyone needed a doctor’s note to allow them to eat as much as they wanted at the state fair, he would sign it.
Tickets for this year’s state fair can be purchased in advance.
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