August to September is fair season in Utah, and across the state counties are gearing up for the annual celebration which will culminate with the Utah State Fair. Although there is always plenty to see and do at the fair, perhaps what comes to mind first is the food that is found there. Almost none of it is healthy and most of it can’t be found anywhere else.

From corn dogs to churros, most fair food is fried. There are the traditional offerings such as hot dogs, corn dogs and hamburgers but these days the average fairgoer can also enjoy fried avocados, fried Coke and even fried Twinkies and Oreos.

So, how did this fine cuisine (tongue-in-cheek here!) evolve? 

It all began with the first World’s Fair which was held in 1851 at the Crystal Palace in London. Fairgoers came with appetites and organizers had to find a way to feed them. Not surprisingly, cheap and easy were the priorities. 

By 1863 when the World’s Fair was held in Chicago, Americans were ready to be introduced to new foods such as tamales and Vienna beef hotdogs. Even now 160 years later, a fair without such fare is unimaginable. 

Many foods have even been invented, discovered or tested at fairs, according to Sciencemeetsfood.org. “At the second U.S. World's Expo held in 1893 in Chicago, a few famous foods were born. Cracker Jack® was created and sold by the Rueckheim brothers. Pabst Beer won the highest honors in competition and changed the name to Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer,” the site says.

Over the years, the offerings have gotten even more inventive. 

Fairgoers at different venues can now enjoy chicken-fried bacon, hot-beef sundaes, cookie fries, deep-fried butter balls, python kebabs, deep-fried mashed potatoes on a stick and even fried beer. 

Many communities, while offering the standard fare, also have their local-specific offerings at their fairs and festivals. Chocolate covered scorpions, crickets and mealworms are the order of the day at the Arizona State Fair, for example.

While fair food in Utah tends to be tamer, there are still favorites at every fair. Utah’s own Deep Fried Green Jell-O served at the Utah State Fair even made it onto Circel All Access’s Top 10 Weird State Fair Foods Across the U.S. list (#9 if you’re interested).

Smaller communities often have their own signature fair food. Turkey drumsticks, for example, are a huge hit at the Scandinavian Festival and other fairs in Ephraim, the home of many turkey farmers. And what would the Rich County Fair be like without Bear Lake raspberry milkshakes?

In the end, fair food has become an experience as much as an easy way to fill your belly:

“State-fair food, once defined by pie contests in the exhibition hall and elephant ears by the rides, has evolved into something elemental – the carnival freak show reincarnated, rolled in batter, dipped in oil and served on a stick,” a 2019 Time magazine article said.

So, as fair season rolls around, what’s going to be your guilty pleasure?