The Iowa State Fair returns in mid-August with music, butter cows and of course, new foods. This year brings a bumper crop of 84 new dishes that will make their debut in 2024.
This year looks very savory, with bacon cheeseburger eggrolls, a cheeseburger corn dog, a lobster corn dog, and pulled pork smoked snacks.
Sweets include candied bacon gnocchi, a Barbie-era funnel cake, cookies and cream ice cream nachos, cinnamon crunch apple taco, a funnel cake burger, maple bacon bliss sundae, pink lemonade whoopie pies, and lemonade doughnut drops.
For the lovers of all things deep fried, find deep-fried bubble gum, a deep-fried hot Cheetos pretzel, deep-fried PB&J, and deep-fried pepperoni chips.
This year, hungry fairgoers can nosh on garlic ranch pickle pizza and Iowa street corn specialty pizza. Attendance at last year's fair soared over 1.1 million, making it the second biggest fair in its 169-year history. It's not the biggest state fair in the country. That honor belongs to the State Fair of Texas, according to Carnival Warehouse's industry ranking. Texas logged more than 2.3 million attendees last year.
But the Iowa State Fair occupies a unique spot in American culture, most notably because it has been a key stop for US presidential candidates. But also because the foods are the stuff of legend. From fried Oreos to the Ultimate Bacon Brisket Bomb.
This year, breakfast lovers can feast on the brunchy burger, a bloody mary buffet, and a hot mess biscuit (among a variety of other new biscuit dishes) are ready to feed hunger fairgoers.
For the lobster roll fans, this year brings a two-foot Connecticut-style lobster roll or a basic two-foot lobster roll.
Here, a look at the 84 new foods at the Iowa State Fair this year and the ones voted the best in past years.
Next week, the Iowa State Fair invited in media personalities, Blue Ribbon Foundation members, State Fair queens and more to determine the three dishes that will vie for the best new food at the State Fair. The fair selected 10 dishes that will be sampled and voted on.
Follow the livestream on July 16 at 1 p.m. at facebook.com/iowastatefair.
Last year, the deep-fried bacon brisket mac-n-cheese grilled cheese from What’s Your Cheez took the top honors, as voted by fairgoers.
This novelty dish used the Rib Shack’s signature bacon brisket mac and cheese that’s then slathered between layers of American cheese and two slices of What’s Your Cheez bacon cheddar bread. It is then deep-fried and served with a raspberry chipotle barbecue sauce.
2013: Shrimp Corn Dog — Zag's Po Boys
2014: Funnel Cake on a Stick — multiple vendors
2015: The Rib Shack — Ultimate Bacon Brisket Bomb
2016: Iowa Turkey Federation — Not Your Mamma’s Taco
2017: Steer ‘N’ Stein — Pork Almighty
2018: Applishus — Apple Eggroll
2019: G Mig’s Wrap Stand — Georgie’s Roast with the Most Wrap
2021: Cluckin’ Coop by the Iowa Egg Council/Iowa Poultry Association — Chicken Egg Salad with Fry Bread
2022: The Rib Shack — The Finisher
2023: What's Your Cheez — Deep-Fried Bacon Brisket Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese
Contributing: Donovan Slack, USA TODAY
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network. You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at [email protected].
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