Food still a top draw at the Indiana State Fair

Chocolate-covered bacon one of several new things to try

INDIANAPOLIS - The animals are cute, the midway is a blast and the wide variety of great performers is unbelievable, but there's just no denying that visitors to the Indiana State Fair spend much of their time "tasting" their way around the fairgrounds in pursuit of their favorite fair feature - the food. And once again this year, fairgoers will have no shortage of fun foods from which to choose.

Back are some of the recent, curious sensations that have captured fairgoers' imaginations and taste buds alike, including deep-fried Twinkies and deep-fried candy bars. Joining them this year are deep-fried green beans, bierock (a meat-filled pocket pastry combining savory ground beef, onion and sauerkraut wrapped in a fluffy sweet pocket of dough) and chocolate-covered bacon.

"To be honest, when I first heard of chocolate-covered bacon, I thought it was the stupidest idea ever," said Dennis Rease of Carousel Concessions. "But, people really like it. Everyone wants to try it because it's such a novelty item, and they love the sweet and salty flavor."

In honor of the Year of Tomatoes presented by Red Gold^®, five new tomato-based foods will also be awaiting fairgoers. Deep-fried pizza has been voted the "signature food" of the fair, narrowly defeating the Pizza Cone in this year's contest conducted in partnership with The Indianapolis Star. Here are the details of all five of these new items:

· Deep-fried Pizza (Urick Concessions)

Deep-fried Pizza, known to Italians as "pizza fritta," is hand-tossed pizza dough deep fried to a golden brown and topped with delicious pizza sauce of vine-ripened tomatoes and grated cheese. These sell for $5 and will be available in front of the Grand Hall on Main Street.

Pizza Cone (King's Concessions)

This is exactly what it sounds like - a cone-shaped pizza crust filled with cheese, pepperoni, sausage and Red Gold^®tomato sauce - all baked in an oven. It's a "walking pizza in a cone." It will be sold north of the Home and Family Arts Building, near the Midway arch for $4.

YaYa's Tomato Balls (Papageorge's Inc.)

This recipe has been enjoyed by the Papageorge family in Greece for many years. This vegetarian dish consists of diced tomatoes, grated cheese, onions, special select spices and a dash of bread crumbs. The tomato balls are fried until golden brown, and served with a side of cucumber sauce. These will be available on the west side of the West Pavilion for $6.

Sun-dried Tomato Pork Burger (Barto's Catering)

This juicy pork burger is topped with fried green tomatoes, Red Gold^®chutney and sliced gouda cheese. It sells for $3 at the Gate 12 plaza, near the Farm Bureau Building.

Tomato Bob (Smith Concessions)

For the more health-conscious eater, this item uses fresh Indiana grown produce, starting with cherry/grape tomatoes, sliced green peppers and sliced cucumbers that are skewered to create a 'shish-ke-bob' of fresh veggies. It comes with one of three dipping sauces and sells for $3 near the northwest corner of the West Pavilion.

The best part about this year's new food items is that the fair has set aside one day to make it easy to try many of them and still have room for other fair favorites like the Hoosier ribeye sandwich, roasted sweet corn and a Dairy Bar milkshake. August 18 has been designated "$2 Taste of the State Fair Tuesday" when concessionaires all over the fairgrounds will have $2 specials available all day long.

Did we mention the State Fair cream puffs? Or lemon shake-ups? Or Walking Tacos? Or Hot Beef Sunday? Or Strawberry shortcake?...

About Indiana State Fair

The Indiana State Fair is the state's largest multi-day event attracting more than 840,000 people annually. This year's fair stretches over three weekends August 7 - 23 as it celebrates the Year of Tomatoes presented by Red Gold. Known nationally for its livestock shows, Pioneer Village, Little Hands on the Farm T and a variety of unique, fun foods, the Indiana State Fair offers tremendous family entertainment for a gate admission of $8, $7 in advance (kids 5 and younger are free). For more information, please visit www.indianastatefair.com.

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