By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ – ABC NEWS Business Unit
State fair season is beginning and, for many, that means one thing: food. Lots and lots of food, often deep fried, on a stick or deep fried and on a stick.
Can you say fried pineapple on a stick? Or pork chop on a stick? Or, even more perplexing, salad on a stick? Then there’s deep-fried Milky Way bar on a stick, meatball on a stick, cheesecake on a stick, fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a stick and don’t forget about the fried pickle on a stick.
It seems like everything at the fair just tastes better on a stick.
Click Here for Photos of State Fair Food Favorites
Fair-goers from Iowa to Texas to Minnesota marvel each year at the various concoctions, returning to old favorites and trying new treats.
This year at the 158th Wisconsin State Fair, for instance, all the hype is about chocolate-covered bacon.
It has been a runaway hit, selling 7,000 slices — unexpectedly — in the first day of the fair Thursday. Teams now are working through the night to ensure that there is enough bacon for the fair with nearly 100,000 slices expected to be sold by the end of the 10-day event.
“You get a little bit of the sweet and you get a little bit of the saltiness. So you mix those two loves together and that’s where chocolate bacon came from,” said Jessica Deeg of The Machine Shed restaurant in Pewaukee, Wis., the maker of the treat. “It’s a craze around here and it’s awesome.”
Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, it is served on a stick.
So what are the top foods at this year’s fairs? ABC News scoured the country and came up with our own list of top favorites. Feel free to add your favorites to the comment section below.
1. Caramel Apples
2. Belgian Waffle on a stick
3. Deep-Fried Oreo Cookies
4. Corn Dogs
5. Frozen Coffee On a Stick
6. Cotton Candy
7. Funnel Cake
8. Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
9. Deep-Fried Norwegian Banana Split
10. Open-Faced Grilled Spam Sandwich