Sweet, salty, and sour combos are dominating fair food selections in 2024.
Twisting the concept of the banana split, the LA County Fair Midway Gourmet Dominic Palmieri introduced the dill pickle split. The pickle is split down the middle, like a banana, and topped with sour spaghetti candy strings and pineapple whip.
Then there is Palmieri's candied pickle. This is a cored giant pickle, also stuffed with sour spaghetti candy, wrapped in a fruit roll-up and dusted with Tajin seasoning — a Mexican salty spice made with chili and advertised as a fruit spice. The pickle also includes chamoy sauce, another star of Mexican cuisine made from pickled fruit with a similar sweet and salty flavor.
Fruit roll-ups are big in fair food. At the San Diego state fair, vendors wrapped freeze-dried fruit roll-ups and stuffed them with cotton candy and sour gummy worms.
Another treat for the adventurous was the caviar funnel cake: A fried funnel cake layered with whipped cream and topped with caviar.
One savory offering is Spam fries — actual Spam cut like fries and fried, then served in the can. Enjoy them with three sweet dipping sauces: Thai chili, spicy mayo, and teriyaki.
In the sweet category, one vendor takes a perfectly good extra crispy chicken sandwich on a lovely brioche bun and tops it with Cap'n Crunch Berry cereal.