As I mentioned last week and again yesterday, I was invited to attend the deep-fried tasting day for the media for the North Carolina State Fair. I am here to give you the skinny on what the fair is offering this year. I wish I could say I tasted all the food but unfortunately, I didn’t first because there was so much to taste ( I mean just look at the sheet below to see all that we had to taste) but then there is also food allergies as well. Keep reading to find out what kind of North Carolina State Fair Food you should be enjoying.
So first let me start out by saying that all the chefs behind these foods are geniuses. And their presentations were off the charts. I chatted with one owner who brought his bouncers ( metal turkeys who have been coming to the fair since they have been a vendor) and their turkey legs looked divine but sadly the shrimp in it would have would not have been nice to me. ( Read into that what you want- but that didn’t mean I couldn’t chat with the chef’s and learn about the why behind their food)
I even got to watch one lady make her atomic tots. And folks, I think I found something that would even make my husband who is a native of Mexico sweat. It was that hot. But enough of me rambling I know you want to know the skinny about the food right? Well, let me start off with the one that won the New Food Media Award.
Jerk BBQ Chicken Sliders with Tropical Slaw from Cool Running Jamaican
First let me say, I love me some Jerk Chicken and the fact that the tropical slaw has pineapple in it was a no-brainer for me. I love anything that has pineapple in it. The pineapple cut down on the spiciness of the chicken and it was just the right amount of spice for this girl.
La Surena from Arepa Loca
This was a cheese corn arepa pocket stuffed with pulled pork and topped with sweet plantains, cilantro guacamole sauce, and pink sauce. I actually voted for this one because it reminded me a lot of my husband’s sopes.
Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie from Tropical Delights
A strawberry smoothie loaded with New York-style cheesecake for a creamy and delicious experience – the best of both worlds. Served in our 24oz martini cup for a dessert overload! Y’all the presentation was everything for this one. And the tiny umbrella was everything. It was a running joke at the table I was sitting at.
Lobster Pop From Oak City Fish and Chips
Fried lobster seasoned with a secret blend of spices served lightly battered on a stick with the bright red shell. Once again the presentation was out of this world however this was one of the ones I had to pass on.
Shrimp Alfredo Stuffed Turkey Leg from Hickory Tree Turkey BBQ
Giant smoked turkey leg stuffed with Cajun shrimp and alfredo sauce. This is the one who brought the turkey bouncers to the fair with them 🙂 Again I hated I had to pass on them but that didn’t stop me from chatting with them for a few minutes.
Carolina Cowboy Roll from Fatboys BBQ
Brisket, mac-n-cheese, special spices rolled into an egg roll and deep-fried. Vegetarian version available with limitation bacon bits instead of brisket. Y’all this was everything you never knew you wanted but you definetly knew you needed after eating this.
Fresh Creamy Lemonade from Bayshore Services
A creamy twist for fresh hand-shaken lemonade. This was so refreshing.
OMG! Banana Pudding from OMG! Foods
It wouldn’t be a state fair in the south without Banana Pudding. Speaking of banana pudding I have a great banana pudding dip over on my other blog.
Atomic Tots from Chef’s D’Lites
Spicy seasoned tater tots topped with spicy cheese sauce, sweet heat shredded chicken, pepper bacon, spicy ranch, sour cream, and a crispy fried hot pepper. Y’all these tots would even make my Mexican husband sweat they were that hot. But oh so good.
Bacon Bourbon Chicken from Bubba’s Bacon Chicken on a stick
Seriously you haven’t gone to a fair unless you have eaten something off of a stick.
As you can see there was a lot of food consumed on media day and those were just ten items out of about 30 to taste. I also loved how some of the vendors offered vegan options as well as healthier options. My one tip for the fair if you are going is to bring some baggies because you will have some food leftover. So tell me which one of these North Carolina State Fair Food appeals to you?
[…] I shared some of the amazing food to be had at the North Carolina State Fair and today I am going to take you along for a day at the […]