Iowa State Fair Announces This Year’s New Foods

You'll find 26 new foods at this year's Iowa State Fair! Here's the complete list.

The 2016 Iowa State Fair is August 11 thru 21 in Des Moines and the foods will again be divine. Here are the 26 new items you'll find this year, including the three finalists for the best "New Food at the Fair."

1. The Five Buck Cowboy Cup: Available at Steer N Stein, it will feature baked beans, mashed potatoes and shredded pork topped with cheese. I'm gonna take a pass on this one. I like baked beans and mashed potatoes, but they don't sound that appealing together. ($5)
2. Apple Fritter Bites:  Sold at Applishus, it's just exactly as it sounds. A balled-up fritter with powdered sugar. Uh, 1,000% yes! ($4)
3. Bacon Cheddar Brat Sandwich: Get it at the Iowa Pork Producers tent. It's a grilled pork brat with bacon and cheddar inside. Mmmm mmm. (Sandwich $6; Meal $8)
4. Blessed Breakfast AKA Big Boy Plate: Available at the West Des Moines Methodist Church booth, it's a buttermilk biscuit halved with two pieces of ham and potato bites and scrambled eggs also added. Top it off with sausage gravy, shredded cheese, and jalapenos, if you choose. They'll even give you another buttermilk biscuit to help cleanse your plate. I'll have one of these and walk the entire fairgrounds afterwards to try and help increase my heart rate and clear my arteries. ($8)
5. Caramel Cocoa Crispy Crunch: Sold at Dipped in Chocolate, this frozen treat has caramel fudge, marshmallows, white chocolate, and cocoa crispies, dipped in chocolate. Do I REALLY have to wait 'til August 11?! ($5)
6. Cheddar Bacon Cheese on a Stick: Get it at Fyfe Concessions, and get you will definitely want to. Listen to the description of this bad boy. Bacon cheddar cheese on a stick and then dipped in batter and fried. I need to take a deep breath after typing this one.  ($5)
7. Fried Fruit Kabob: Also sold at Fyfe Concessions,  it's pineapple, strawberries, and peaches on a stick, batter-dipped and fried with melted chocolate added. Hey, it's got three different kinds of fruit so no regrets here, right? ($5)
8. Funnel Bacon on a Stick: Available at The Best Around, it's bacon wrapped around a wood skewer and deep fried twice! Once without funnel cake batter and then again with it. Then top it off with your choice of caramel, chocolate syrup, or maple butter cream. One word. Delish. ($5)
9. Hawaiian Pineapple Bowls: Get it at Diamond Jacks, it's the most expensive item on the menu but sounds well worth it. Your bowl is a half-pineapple, filled with white rice and fresh pineapple. Then add your choice of meat. There's Maui Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, or BBQ Pork Ribs and sauce. This has to be one of the healthiest choices at the fair. Sounds excellent. ($14)
10. Italian Bacon Wrap on a Stick: Sold at Fyfe Concessions, it's a link of Italian sausage wrapped in bacon on a stick, batter-dipped and fried. I'll let you try this one and let me know before I give it a whirl. ($6)
11. Jalapeno Double Bacon Corndog: Available at Campbell's Concessions, it's deep-fried bacon (why does it sound SO good) wrapped in a corn dog and then bacon bits and jalapeno batter. The deep-fried bacon sounds amazing, but I'm not a fan of Jalapeno's or Corndog's, so I'll take a pass on this one. ($5)
12. Loaded Taters on a Stick: Sold at TNT Concession, you're looking at shredded potatoes, cheddar cheese, real bits of bacon, sour cream, and chives, batter-dipped and fried on a stick. Good lord, YES! ($5)
13. The Duke: Get it at The Corn Stand. Grilled corn cut from the cob, placed in a cup with smoked sausage, pepper jack cheese, pork rinds, chives, and barbecue sauce. There's no way you go wrong with fresh sweet corn on anything. ($6)
14. Ultimate Bacon Brisket Grilled Cheese: Available at The Rib Shack, it's artesian-style cheddar bread with The Rib Shack's dry rub butter, and then add provolone, farmer and cheddar cheese, smoked beef brisket (shaved), apple wood smoked bacon. All that is grilled til golden brown. There's WAY too much to like to say no. ($7)
15. The Slopper: Get this one at Bradford's Concessions. It's a foot-long grilled hot dog chopped and added to a bag of crushed corn chips with chili and cheese sauce added. Top it with onions, pickles, sauerkraut, sour cream, jalapeno peppers, or any combination you choose. Maybe it's the toppings (you already know I'm not a pepper guy and sauerkraut is another "ick" for me), but I'm a no on this one. ($5)
16. The Strawberry Blonde: Sold at the Belgian Waffle Cafe, it's a crunchy authentic Belgian Waffle with strawberry glaze, fresh-sliced strawberries, fresh Chantilly cream, and white chocolate. Breakfast is good anytime of the day and I bet this baby draws a crowd. Another 1,000% yes. ($6)

This year's three finalists for "New Food at the Fair" (no prices provided)

• Pride of Iowa Wrap: Available at the G. Migs stand (southeast of the Varied Industries Building), it's a pork shoulder in a jalapeno cheddar tortilla with hickory smoked bacon bits and sweet corn salsa. Add to that fresh avocado relish, chipotle aioli, cheddar jack cheese, and crispy tortilla bites. Despite the jalapeno in tortilla, I'm inclined to say "Yes, please."
• Not Your Mama's Taco: Get it at the Iowa Turkey Federation Stand (west of the Anne and Bill Riley Stage). It's a golden crispy deep-fried flour tortilla with turkey, homemade veggie slaw and sweet mango salsa. I gotta believe THIS is 2016 healthiest food option.
• Ice Cream Nachos: Sold at Benoit's Nutty Bar and Root Beer Floats on Rock Island (east of the Anne and Bill Riley Stage). This is my pick for the winner, nearly two months before the fair begins. It's crisp cinnamon sugar chips covered with two scoops of cinnamon ice cream with hot fudge, caramel, and chocolate, caramel and strawberry bits. Put nuts, whipped cream, and a cherry on the top and you have perfection.

Here's the remainder of the new foods available this summer at the fair. No further description was provided:

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rool: Get it at Paul Lombard.
Fruit Pizza (Iowa Orchard booth will sell this one)
Lemon Bars (Get it at Iowa Orchard as well)
Smoked Chicken Drummy Wrapped in Bacon (Purchase at the Rib Shack)
S'mores Sunday (purchase at Ford Concessions)
Toast Brushetta BLT (Buy this one at Parlo Pizza)
Tot-chos (Sold at Dustin Beener)

There you go... start saving on the calories now. You'll need every one you can spare for this summer's Iowa State Fair. Here's an interactive map to find all your favorites when you get there.

[via Iowa State Fair]