Fried food is king at State Fair of Texas, including — Fried Sugar?

by Alexandra Spitzer of The Daily Campus

Yes, that's sugar dipped in pancake batter, fried, and topped with caramel.

Photo by Sidney Hollingsworth

Fried Oreo

FAIR PARK — The State Fair of Texas is the largest state fair in the United States and one of the most anticipated events among Dallas locals. Thousands of guests crowd the historic Fair Park to see the symbolic 52-foot-tall cowboy “Big Tex,” enjoy live music from popular singer and bands, participate in fair games and fun rides, and most importantly: to indulge in some greasy, deep-fried Southern food.

This year is no exception to the State Fair’s endless variety of delicious culinary concoctions. Starting Friday, fair attendees will indulge in American, Belgium, Cajun, Greek, German, and Mexican foods, to name just a few.

Food has always been the primary incentive for visitors to attend the annual fair. For this reason, fair organizers decided to make food an even more prominent feature of the State Fair in 2005 by creating the Big Tex Choice Awards contest.

The contest takes place among fair concessionaires who desire friendly competition. The contest, which took place on September 3, consisted of 54 concessionaires who submitted for the Big Tex Choice Awards this year. After narrowing the prospects down to eight finalists in the final round, judges were invited to sample each of the culinary creations.

The final eight creations consisted of just about every food imaginable deep fried: Chicken Fried Cactus Bites, Deep Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches Cake, Deep Fried Jambalaya, Deep Fried Mac-N-Cheese Slider, Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll, Fried Mexican Fire Crackers, Fried Pork Wing, and Picnic on a Stick (yes: the chicken in this dish is also fried). Although it was a difficult decision to choose from each of these unique masterpieces, judges decided on two winners.

See the full map to all this year's new fried foods here.

The 2012 Best Taste award went to Abel Gonzales for his Deep Fried Jambalaya and Butch Benavides for his Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll.

The two winners were awarded with their very own Big Tex trophies.

And although fair-goers will still be able to enjoy many of their favorite meals from previous years, the State Fair is also expanding its food selections by adding new foods and first time vendors. Some of the deep fried and greasy options include the Deep Fried Baked Potato, filled with butter, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives, and bacon bits; and the Deep Fried Chicken and Waffle, served on a stick and enhanced with warm syrup, butter, and sugar on top.

More sugary delights include Deep Fried Red Velvet Cupcake, filled with cream cheese frosting and topped with a fried boneless chicken wing; and Fried Cotton Candy, lightly battered in funnel cake mix and sprinkled with fine powdered sugar.

But the most sugar-packed treat of all has to simply be Fried Sugar, which are dipped in pancake batter, fried until golden brown, and topped with caramel sauce. Aside from these out of norm foods, the State Fair of Texas serves more traditional meals as well. Dishes such as the Shrimp Quesadillas, Pulled Pork Sliders, and West Texas Fried Apple Pie provide fairgoers with some classic southern comfort foods to enhance their experience.

During the month of October, the State Fair will be hosting the Maytag Celebrity Kitchen where prominent restaurant chefs and local VIPs will be featured. The chefs will hold complimentary demonstrations each day for foodies to learn useful culinary tips and details.

Although food tends to be the main focus of events, the State Fair of Texas has much more to offer than just the mouth-watering cuisine. Concerts, auto shows, creative art contests, and livestock shows are just a few main attractions that excite attendees and appeal to both young and old fair-goers.

The State Fair of Texas opens this September 28 and continues until October 21. Tickets are $16 for general admission and $12 for senior citizens and children.