5 Most Insane New State Fair Foods

Although summer has just begun, a new list of foods offered at the 2018 Minnesota State Fair has everyone eagerly looking forward to the big celebration at the end of the season. What’s known as the Great Minnesota Get Together draws hundreds of thousands of attendees to take in the sights, sounds and smells from farm animals to midway rides to stunning feats of 4H prowess. Along with the usual parade of classic fair foods, vendors jockey for attention with a variety of outrageous foods. This year’s selection thankfully doesn’t include anything as cringe inducing as the deep-fried licorice, but the list of new foods still includes some doozies. These edible oddities are offered in no particular order.

Pepperoni Chips with Roasted Red Pepper Queso

Fried slices of pepperoni served with an unnecessary side of cheese sauce is a portable Lipitor antidote. This is the dish for people who enjoy the sensation of heartburn mingling with sunburn in the late August heat.

Lulu’s Public House At West End Market, south of the Schilling Ampitheater

Minnesota State Fair/Website

Rainbow Cloud Roll

The rainbow-colored food craze has landed in the Grandstand. Multi-colored ice cream is wrapped in a “pillow” of cotton candy. Ice cream flavors include the reasonable vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and whatever “Superman” tastes like. The picture also includes what appears to be Fruity Pebbles.

Located on the upper level of the Grandstand

Minnesota State Fair/Website

Zesty PB & J Sausage

It’s the hotdog no one asked for: the herk-inducing combination of peanut butter, cherry jelly, cayenne pepper and pork. If that wasn’t off-putting enough, there’s also cilantro in there.

Gass Station Grill West side of Cooper St. between Dan Patch & Judson avenues, outside southeast corner of the Food Building

Minnesota State Fair/Website

Za-Waffle Sticks

At first this seems somewhat reasonable foodstuff description, “Waffles blended with pepperoni and mozzarella, topped with a parmesan herb blend.” So far so good, and then it takes a hard left into Crazy Town. “Served with pepperoni-infused maple syrup.”

Green Mill, East side of Cooper St. between Randall & Wright avenues, at Family Fair at Baldwin Park

Minnesota State Fair/Website

Mangonada Shave Ice

This one has potential. A sweet, spicy blend could be good. A world’s worth of sweet treats are all tossed in this cold dessert dish: Mango-flavored shave ice is topped with salty/sour/sweet Mexican chamoy, hit with tart-hot tajin chili powder, with mango boba pearls and a lily-gilding tamarind straw. It’s a kitchen-sink approach to flavor building.

MinneSnowii Shave Ice at West End Market, south section

• New Fair Foods Full List [MNSF]
• Critics Call The Winners and Losers of the New Fair Foods 2017 [ETC]
• All Minnesota State Fair Coverage [ETC]