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About This Quiz
All aboard the state fair express! However you're getting to the state fair, get there fast so you have plenty of time to eat all of the amazing foods that you'll find. Most times, these foods can only be found at state fairs. How not fair is that? But, such is life. You may be asking yourself how state fair foods become so popular. One reason could be because state fairs are the stuff of fantasies. A fair takes a bland plot of land in your town that you drive by every single day and turns it into a masterpiece of rides, games and general hullabaloo.
The food is no different. Other than at a state fair, when is it acceptable to eat fried butter? Pretty much never, and if that's a norm for you, well then, lucky duck! Except maybe not for your arteries.
Eating so many of your favorite foods on a stick makes them that much more exciting. Taking something you've loved your whole life and sticking it in a deep fryer can be an out-of-body experience. Then there are the regional delicacies that some will never get the pleasure of tasting.
Do you think you can name popular state fair foods just from an image? Get your fried cookie dough ready, and take this quiz to find out!
Fried Oreos
Calories on calories on calories! But you know what, treat yourself. State fairs don't happen every day, so when you're at one, you might as well make the most of it. You only have one body, so treat it like a junk food temple.
Fried cookie dough
Toaster strudel
Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts
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Fried waffles
Fried Twinkies
Keep the fried foods coming! Twinkies are perfectly soft, sweet and creamy. The only thing that could possibly make them better is deep frying them and covering them in powdered sugar.
Fried birthday cake
Fried french toast
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Apple pie
Cider doughnuts
Funnel cake
Oh, funnel cake. What is there to say about it, other than you haven't lived until you've had the fried, sweet batter completely dominated by powdered sugar? Top it with ice cream if you want to get crazy.
Waffles
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Doughnut ice cream sandwich
Pie topped with ice cream
Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich
Fresh waffle ice cream sundae
The only thing better than waffles is waffles and ice cream, especially with endless toppings. It might be one of the messier state fair foods, but it's so worth having a face covered in chocolate and sprinkles.
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Bacon on a stick
If you don't like bacon, you're wrong. Bacon is one of those things that just makes life so much better, and it can be eaten with breakfast, dinner or dessert. It's no one-trick-pony and will go with anything, even cocktails.
Pig ears
French fries
Fried cheese curds
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French toast on a stick
Corn dog
Whether you top it with mustard or ketchup, or you dip it in maple syrup. you cannot go wrong with a corn dog! It's easy to eat at a state fair, and you can hold another treat in the other hand. Win-win.
Sausage on a stick
Kebabs
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Frozen lemonade
Iced coffee
Shaved ice
Shaved ice itself is boring, but blast up the excitement by adding one of the many flavored syrups offered at any given time. You can even mix and match flavors. Make sure you grab a straw, though, for when it starts to melt.
Milkshake
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Brined cheese sandwich
Limeade
Onion rings
Pickle pops
Again with foods on a stick! We can't get enough. Briny pickles, frozen in their own juice as popsicles, serve guests well because they're on a stick and easy to eat. They can be eaten with other fair treats too, like bacon on a stick or a sweet dessert.
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Fried pickles
Taking sliced pickles, breading them and frying them just makes an already great treat that much better. Not to mention all of the dipping sauces that enhance something already great.
Fried butter
Jalapeno poppers
Fried zucchini
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Nachos
Loaded hot dogs
Hot dogs are great, but they can be a bit boring. But fear not - state fairs come to the rescue! Depending on where you live or what state you're attending the fair in, the toppings will vary, but they will be delicious.
Potato salad
Mile high cheeseburgers
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Salt water taffy
Caramel chews
Caramel apples
Caramel apples have come a long way! You can now get them covered in chocolate candies, sprinkles, double the caramel, basically whatever you want - especially at a state fair. Plus, it's yet another thing on a convenient stick.
Rock candy
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Croissants
Danish
Bear claws
Doughnuts
State fair doughnuts are on a whole other level from your everyday bakery doughnut. Topped with ice cream or candy, filled with pudding, chocolate cream or citrus curd, the combinations are endless.
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Hush puppies
Hush puppies are a classic fritter, eaten mostly in the South. They are actually used as the bread served to a table before a meal. But now you can get them at many state fairs and dip them in your sauce of choice.
Corn fritters
Buttermilk biscuits
Fried chicken
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Cherry pie
Apple fritter
Biting into an apple fritter is an experience. It is sweet, warm, a bit crispy and the perfect midday treat after a morning of savory goodness at a state fair. Top it off with some ice cream or powdered sugar, and you've got yourself a blue ribbon.
Blueberry hand pie
Lemon drop cocktail
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Bacon wrapped corn
Warm apple fritter with ice cream
Chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick
Okay, here we go. Cheesecake, dipped in chocolate, on a stick. Saying the name alone is enough to make you hungry for one! Crunchy chocolate, creamy cheesecake and easy to handle? Put yourself down for two!
Soft serve in a waffle cone with hot fudge
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Chili spaghetti
Pork chops and apples
Peanut butter pizza
Cheese curd poutine
Poutine is a french fry dish covered in brown gravy and cheese curds. When these ingredients come together, they create a marriage of fatty cheese, crispy fries and smooth gravy. A true match made in heaven.
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Lobster roll
There's nothing better than a fresh lobster roll, a cool lemonade and the sound of crashing waves. But if you're at a state fair, just the lobster and lemonade will do! Make sure the bun is cut from the top and the lobster is doused in butter.
Fried oysters and chicken salad
Date shake
Clam chowder
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Nachos
Frito pie
Frito pie is not a pie at all, but a bag of Fritos crushed up and topped with all your favorite nacho toppings. You eat it with a fork and it's often called "walking pie," because you can eat and walk.
Salad on a stick
Classic Doritos
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Seashell chocolates
Apple pie cookies
Spaghetti ice cream
Making spaghetti out of ice cream requires a special tool that compresses the frozen treat and pushes out long noodle-like shapes. The ice cream strands are then topped with a raspberry sauce and some kind of sweet that's made to look like a meatball. Your taste buds will be so confused.
Chocolate steak
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Macaroni and cheese
Pie
Potato skins
Fried ravioli
If you've never had fried ravioli - or toasted ravioli - go and get some right now. If there's no state fair in your area, they may also be found at Italian restaurants, especially around St. Louis, Missouri. They're especially nice at a state fair because they're easy to eat and usually one-biters.
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Fried ice cream
Making sure the ice cream is really frozen solid before frying it is the key. The fun part is, you don't have to use traditional breading! People use cereal, potato chips, or cinnamon and sugar tortillas for a trip south of the border.
Fried margarita
Fried butter
Melted popsicle
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Pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches
Cheese steaks
People are very particular about their cheese steaks, and rightfully so. Many people showcase their versions, but outside of Philly, very few come close to the real thing. It comes down to the roll and the type of beef.
Pretzels
Tomato pies
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Beans and rice
Fried catfish
Boiled peanuts
Green peanuts, which are raw, make the best boiled peanuts - you can ask anyone. Aside from their salty goodness, boiled peanuts have antioxidants, so you can be healthy, too.
Enchilada tacos
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Chocolate dipped apple
Giant lollipop
Cotton candy
Dole Whip
This frozen, sweet and pineapple-y treat is the perfect way to cool off on a hot state fair day. At state fairs, you can even get twisted flavors like pineapple and raspberry or strawberry. Bet you can't eat just one Dole Whip!
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Pork rinds
Pork rinds are meaty, crunchy, salty - basically all of the best things in a snack. They come in a paper cone or bag, they're so easy to eat while walking around the fair, and they simply melt in your mouth.
Kettle cooked chips
Fried chicken skins
Popcorn
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Pop-Tart sundae
Tater tot nachos
Totchos are simply nachos, but instead of tortilla chips, tater tots serve as the base. The fried potato concoction serves to soak up all of the salsa and sour cream, and also support the cheese, meat and other toppings.
100 layer pizza
Breakfast bagel
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Honey roasted peanuts
Chocolate covered cashews
Kettle corn
Ah yes, kettle corn. The amazingly sweet and yet subtly salty treat everyone runs right for at a state fair. And who can blame them? It comes in a giant bag and keeps your taste buds from getting bored all day long.
Peanut butter cups
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Alligator fritters
Catfish and corn
Snapper soup
Shrimp and grits
The creaminess of the grits, the sweetness and bite of the shrimp - it doesn't get much better. You can find this pretty much everywhere in the South, but eating it at a state fair makes it way more fun.
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Turkey leg
You won't need any utensils for a turkey leg, since it comes with a natural handle. Plus, it's not super messy. You can hold a drink in the other hand, or another easy-to-hold snack.
Chicken wing
Fried chicken and waffles
Duck confit on a stick
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Pierogi
Potato pancake
Whether it is the shredded potato version or a mashed version, potato pancakes are so versatile. They can be topped with sour cream, green onion, bacon, cheese, etc. Anywhere your dreams can take you, potato pancakes can get you there.
Matzo ball
Kielbasa
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Pie nuggets
Ice cream burger
Apple fries
Apple fries are exactly what they say they are - apples cut into sticks and fried, either in a batter or sweet breading. They then get rolled in delicious cinnamon sugar. Dip them in caramel for a real enhancement.
Waffle fries
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Fried pizza
Fried queso
Mozzarella sticks
Fried mac and cheese balls
Making macaroni and cheese thick and cheesy enough to be rolled into a ball and then fried is a real talent. The soft pasta and creamy cheese are the perfect match for a crunchy and salty shell.
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Street corn
Covered in sour cream or mayo, coated in crumbly cheese and spiced with whatever the vendor has chosen is the basic gist of street corn, whether on or off the cob. The name also comes because it is a popular street food in Mexico!
Street tacos
Carnitas
Mexican Coke
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Pork roll
Scrapple
Truly, you either love it or you hate it. There aren't people who have "meh" feelings about scrapple. But if you love it, you know which diner has the best and what to look for in not-so-great ones. If it's not deep fried, no thank you.
Frog's legs
Chicken feet
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Chocolate eclairs
Custard tarts
Cream puffs
Of course, state fairs couldn't just leave anything normal. They take regular cream puffs and increase the size by almost four times, then stuff ithem with as much cream as possible.
Sacher tort
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Frozen lemonade
Grass jelly drink
Rose water
Arnold Palmer
The Arnold Palmer is one of the most delicious drinks to break up all of that fried food you're eating at the state fair. It's half lemonade and half iced tea, and 100% delectable.
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Beignet
Take dough, fry it, cover it entirely in powdered sugar. That's a beignet, and it's hard to believe how delicious it is for how seemingly easy it is to make. State fairs really get it right, especially close to the source in New Orleans.
Bananas Foster
Praline bacon
Samoa doughnut
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Fried oysters
Fried okra
Okra is a staple in good gumbo, but there are many other things to do with it. A lot of people don't like the texture, which is why frying is a popular cooking method for mass consumption. It fits in perfectly at state fairs, too.
Fried plantains
Fried pigs ears
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Chocolate covered peanuts
Goo Goo Clusters
Chocolate covered bacon
Bacon already comes on a stick at many state fairs, but someone took it up another notch and took that stick and dunked it in a vat of chocolate. Once it hardens, you get to crack through the chocolate shell and enjoy the chewy, salty crispness of the bacon.
Biscuits and chocolate gravy
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Chocolate covered strawberries
Chocolate covered raisins
Chocolate dipped Magnum bar
Frozen chocolate covered banana
Frozen bananas are a great dessert any day of the week, but state fairs couldn't just leave it at that. They dip them in chocolate and cover them with whatever topping you choose, like nuts, sprinkles or cookie pieces.
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