18 new foods debut at state fair

DES MOINES ? Happiness is new fair foods and treats set to make their debut at the 2013 Iowa State Fair Aug. 8-18 in Des Moines.

The new menu offerings join the list of nearly 200 food choices available throughout the fairgrounds.

Eight concessionaires submitted treats in the new foods contest to vie for a finalist title.

Concessionaires were asked to submit a creative food item that aligned with the integrity of their current menu. The Iowa State Fair Board judged the food entries based on taste/flavor, presentation/appearance, value and creativity/originality. The contest winner will be announced during the fair.

The contest entries include:

? Bringing the beach to Iowa, the Shrimp Corndog, available at the Po-Boy Stand, is a savory snack featuring three fresh shrimp dipped in corndog batter, fried to golden perfection and topped with a sweet jalapeno glaze.

? The Smoothie On-a-stick at Turkey Time Concessions will offer fairgoers a sweet and healthy way to cool down. The strawberry smoothie is frozen, put on a stick and ready to be eaten on any hot August fair day.

? The Bacon-Wrapped Riblet On-a-stick, available at the Bud Tent, is a pork riblet wrapped in bacon, hickory smoked and then basted with barbeque sauce.

Additional sweet entries included a Fried Brownie On-a-stick, a Soft Salted Chocolate-Dipped Almond Pretzel On-a-stick and a Coconut Mountain, a soft and chewy coconut ball rolled in coconut flakes and dipped in fresh chocolate. These treats join more than 50 foods on-a-stick offered at the fair.

The mouth-watering treats don?t stop there. Both the Sweet Corn Corndog, a hot dog dipped in batter enriched with fried sweet corn, and the Rib Shack Cowboy, cowboy beans, brisket or pork, cole slaw, a signature chip and barbeque sauce in a spice-flavored waffle cone, will entice fairgoers looking for a unique treat.

In addition to the eight new foods in the contest, there also are 10 additional new foods including:

? Carmel Apple Funnel Cake and Strawberry Funnel Cake at Westmorland Concessions;

? Maple Bacon Funnel Cake at The Best Around Concessions;

? Jalapeno Cheese Corndog at Campbell?s Concessions;

? Fresh Tenderloin Sandwich at Chuckie?s Tenderloins;

? Bratwurst on a Pretzel Bun at Arnold?s Concessions;

? Cajun Flavored Cheese Curds at Brad and Harry?s Cheese Curds;

? Deep-Fried Prairie Oysters at Cattleman?s Beef Quarters;

? Fresh Wood-Oven Pizza at Parlo Pizza; and

? Graham Champion Fair Square at the northwest corner of the Administration Building.

Visit www.iowastatefair.org/fair-attractions/food for the complete list of new fair foods, as well as a list of healthy and gluten-free options and vendor locations.