Hilton Club Traveler - Summer 2019 - 16

GO: FOOD AND DRINK

BETTER THAN FAIR
From jumbo jets to bar codes, America is known for its ingenuity. But some innovations are more palatable
than others, and many of the best down-home inventions can be found at the most unpretentious of
places: food stands at state fairs. From extra-fried oddities to local specialties, every fair has its own
selection of delicacies that are unique, tasty and sometimes just plain weird.

MEXICAN FUNNEL
CAKE , FROM PUEBLO,
COLORADO

PYTHON
KEBABS,
FROM SACRAMENTO,
CALIFORNIA
As you might expect from the Golden
State, this delicacy is healthier than the
rest of the foods on the list-proving
that zany treats aren't necessarily
deep-fried. Python Kebabs are exactly
what they sound like: chopped and
filleted python, cooked on a wooden
stick with vegetables and served off
the grill. Low-carb! The annual California
State Fair takes place over two to three
weeks in July.

SOUTHERN
CATFISH
SUNDAE ,
FROM TAMPA,
FLORIDA

FRIED BEER,
FROM DALLAS
From Twinkies to pickles, plenty of unusual foodstuffs find
their way into the deep fryer at state fairs. At the State Fair of
Texas, one of the strangest is the fried beer, pockets of pretzellike dough injected with a frothy lager. As the creator of the
treat says, why drink your beer when you can eat it? The annual
State Fair of Texas begins on the last Friday of September and runs
for 24 consecutive days.

The Florida State Fair is
always the first state fair of the
year, and it sets a high bar when it
comes to strange foods. One
prime example accompanying the
usual array of deep-fried goodies:
the Southern Catfish Sundae, a
"sundae" of fried catfish, french
fries and hot sauce. It's served,
mercifully, without ice cream,
despite the name. The annual
Florida State Fair typically takes
place over 11 days in February.

Did you know?

25,000+

Cheese or Cream Puff?

1390

The number of butter-covered corn
ears served daily from the Minnesota
State Fair's Corn Roast booth.

At the Wisconsin State Fair, the humble
puff is the most popular fair food with
more than 350,000 sold annually.

The year the earliest known recipe for
funnel cake appeared when it was published
in a medieval European cookbook.

ILLUSTRATION BY YU KITO LEE

Funnel cake has long been a staple of state fairs,
but in Colorado they take it one step further by
feeding the dough through a churro press to
form a twisting, several-foot-long cake. It comes
in regular and jumbo, and the larger is part of a
challenge: Eat it in 30 minutes and the dessert is
free. It's not for the faint of heart-or the
arteries-but if you're up for it, your wallet and
your taste buds will thank you. The annual
Colorado State Fair begins in August and runs for
about a week and a half
half.

Hilton Club Traveler - Summer 2019

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