ST PAUL, Minn. — The start of the Minnesota State Fair is coming up fast and on Tuesday the official list of new foods and new vendors was released to the masses.
In 2024, 33 official new foods and six new vendors will be on the fairgrounds, meaning there are 1,600 menu items and 300 different concession locations, officials said.
It's a lot to take in, we know. That's why the planning starts now, right?
New Foods:
3 Piggy Pals On-A-Stick: Three smoked sausage slices wrapped in bacon, filled with a cream cheese mix, and drizzled with barbecue sauce. Topped with a jalapeño slice and served on-a-stick. (Gluten-Friendly)
At Sausage Sister & Me, located in the Food Building, east wall
Afro Poppers: Bite-size pastries infused with an African blend of spices – ground vanilla, cardamom, ginger, cloves and nutmeg – deep-fried and coated with choice of coconut flakes, sugar or served plain. Topped with choice of drizzle – mango chutney, caramel or chocolate.
At Afro Deli, located in the Food Building, east wall
Ba'bacon Sour Cream + Onion: Sour cream + onion hummus topped with beef bacon, sumac tater tots, caramelized onions, scallions, French onion crème fraiche, black cumin seeds and chive oil. Served with pita puffs dusted with sour cream + onion powder. (Gluten-Free without pita puffs, Vegetarian without bacon)
At Baba’s, located on the east side of Underwood Street between Lee & Randall avenues, just south of Little Farm Hands
Blazing Greek Bites: Deep-fried bites made from a blend of chickpeas, tomato, roasted red pepper, scallions and cayenne pepper. Served with a side of roasted red pepper hummus. (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
At Dino's Gyros, located on the north side of Carnes Avenue between Nelson & Underwood streets
Buffalo Cheese Curd & Chicken Tacos: Fried buffalo-flavored cheese curds and chicken topped with blue cheese slaw, drizzled with buffalo sauce, and served in a fried flour shell.
At Richie's Cheese Curd Tacos, located on the north side of Judson Avenue between Liggett & Clough streets, outside the Sheep & Poultry Barn
Chile Mango Whip: Mango Dole Soft Serve in a cup rimmed and topped with chamoy and Tajín. Garnished with a tamarind candy straw. Alternate flavors of Dole Soft Serve include pineapple, strawberry and lemon. (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
At Tasti Whip, located on the northwest corner of Dan Patch Avenue & Underwood Street
Cookie Butter Crunch Mini Donuts: Vanilla-flavored mini donuts coated with vanilla sugar, topped with Biscoff® cookie butter drizzle and cookie crumbles, and served in a bucket rimmed with cookie butter and cookie crumbles.
At Mini Donuts & Cheese Curds, located on the east side of Underwood Street between Murphy & Lee avenues
Cotton Candy Iced Tea: Brewed butterfly pea flower tea sweetened with natural flavor and cane sugar. Garnished with a swirl of edible glitter and a rock candy swizzle stick to stir for a color-changing effect. (Gluten-Free, Caffeine free, Vegan)
At Loon Lake Iced Tea,* located on the west side of Underwood Street between Wright & Dan Patch Avenues
Crab Boil Wings: Chicken wings marinated in hot sauce, grilled and then fried with corn, chicken apple sausage and potatoes. Tossed in a "crab boil" butter and finished with a lemon wedge and parsley. (Gluten-Free)
At Soul Bowl, located in the Food Building, east wall
Deep-Fried Halloumi Cheese: Halloumi cheese, crafted from a blend of sheep and goat milk, wrapped in pastry dough and deep-fried. Served with a side of sweet chili sauce. (Vegetarian)
At Holy Land Deli, located at the International Bazaar, southeast corner
Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing: Ranch dressing filling made with ranch seasoning, buttermilk and cream cheese in a panko shell, deep-fried and dusted with ranch powder. Served with a side of hot honey sauce crafted with Cry Baby Craig's hot sauce. (Vegetarian)
At LuLu's Public House, located at West End Market, south of Schilling Amphitheater
Dill Pickle Tots: Fried tater tots tossed in dill seasoning with a hint of vinegar flavor – like a dill pickle potato chip. (Vegan)
At Tot Boss, located on the east side of Underwood Street between Wright & Dan Patch avenues, south of Kidway
Fried Bee-Nana Pie: Handmade pie filled with Minnesota honey, fresh banana and Biscoff® cookie butter; battered and deep-fried. (Vegetarian)
At Sabino's Pizza Pies, located in the Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum, north side
Grilled Purple Sticky Rice: Purple sticky rice grilled over an open flame until crunchy, then topped with choice of shredded Hmong beef jerky or pickled mushrooms. Garnished with fresh herbs and finished with Union Hmong Kitchen's Krunchy Chili Aioli. (Gluten-Free, Vegetarian option)
At Union Hmong Kitchen, located at the International Bazaar, south wall, west corner
Ham and Pickle Roll Up on a Potato Skin: Three fried potato skins filled with a blend of sour cream, cream cheese, chopped pickles and ham. Topped with potato chip crumbles. (Gluten-Friendly)
At Route 66 Roadhouse Chicken, located in the Food Building, northwest corner
Lady's Slipper Marble Sundae: Bridgeman's strawberry ice cream, lemon marshmallow cream and ladyfinger cookies layered in a cup and topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
At Bridgeman's Ice Cream, located on the northeast corner of Judson Avenue & Liggett Street
Marco's Garden: Local rhubarb jam, thyme-marinated locally sourced tomatoes, farmer cheese, jalapeño and honey served with a side of grilled gluten-free flatbread. (Gluten-Free, Vegan option uses thyme tofu dip and maple syrup instead of cheese and honey.)
At Jammy Sammies by BRIM, located at the North End, northwest section, across from the North End Event Center
Mocha Madness Shave Ice: Fluffy shave ice with caffeine-free coffee flavoring and an overflowing caramel macchiato cold foam center. Drizzled with chocolate syrup and garnished with dark chocolate espresso beans. (Gluten-Free)
At Minnesnowii Shave Ice, located on the west side of Nelson Street between Dan Patch & Carnes Avenues
Nixtamal & Wild Rice Bowl with Wóžapi & Bison Meatballs or Sweet Potato Dumplings: Choice of bison meatballs or sweet potato dumplings, topped with mixed berry wóžapi sauce, and served on a bed of nixtamal (white corn, blue corn and yellow corn) mixed with wild rice and seasoned with maple and spices. Cricket & seed mix topping optional. (Gluten-Free, Vegan option)
At Midtown Global Market's Indigenous Food Lab,* located in the Taste of the Midtown Global Market booth at the International Bazaar, east wall (Aug. 28 to Sept. 2 only)
Patata Frita Focacciawich: "Patata Frita" kettle chip-flavored ice cream created by Minnesota Dairy Lab, sandwiched between focaccia bread from Wrecktangle Pizza. Topped with a blend of honey butter, kettle chips and herbs.
At West End Creamery, located at West End Market, northwest section
PB Bacon Cakes: Thick-cut bacon dipped in pancake batter, griddled and topped with peanut butter whipped cream, grape jelly and banana chips.
At The Blue Barn, located at West End Market, south of the History & Heritage Center
Raging Ball: Deep-fried sesame mochi dough ball with vegan cheeseburger filling. Made with house-made vegan burger mix, vegan cheddar cheese, grilled onions and pickles. Topped with bacon-flavored powdered sugar. (Gluten-Friendly, Vegan)
At The Herbivorous Butcher, located in the Food Building, south wall
Savory Éclairs in Two Varieties: Choux pastry éclair shell with choice of filling: Bánh Mì or Lobster. Bánh Mì Éclair: Filled with pork confit, chicken liver pâté, pickled carrot & daikon, cucumber and sriracha mayo, garnished with micro cilantro – inspired by a traditional Vietnamese sandwich. Lobster Éclair: Filled with lobster meat, celery, mayo, Cholula hot sauce, lime, chives and salt & pepper, topped with dried corn and micro cilantro – inspired by a New England-style lobster roll.
At Scenic 61 by New Scenic Café, located on the east side of Underwood Street between Lee & Randall Avenues, just south of Little Farm Hands
Shroomy "Calamari": Oyster mushrooms hand-breaded and deep-fried. Served with a side of chipotle sauce. (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
At French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, located on the north side of Carnes Avenue between Nelson & Underwood streets
Strawberries and Cream Waffle Stick: Belgian waffle filled with strawberry shortcake cookie dough, topped with whipped cream and strawberry sauce, and served on a stick.
At Waffle Chix, located on Judson Avenue between Liggett & Clough streets
Strawberry Lemonade Donut: Hand-cut yeast-raised donut frosted with lemon buttercream, rolled in strawberry lemonade crunch, and garnished with lemon gummy candy and freeze-dried strawberry slice. Served with a strawberry lemonade-filled pipette to squeeze in more flavor. (Vegetarian)
At Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts, located between West Dan Patch & Carnes avenues and Liggett & Chambers streets, south section
Swedish Ice Cream Sundae: Vanilla ice cream covered in lingonberry jam, sprinkled with Swedish ginger cookie crumble, and garnished with a ginger cookie heart. (Vegetarian)
At Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall, located on the north side of Randall Avenue, just south of the Progress Center
Swedish 'Sota Sliders: Hamline Church Dining Hall's Cranberry-Wild Rice Meatball formed into patties, paired with dill Havarti cheese and a red relish of beets, red onions, red peppers, lingonberries and cranberries, served on two brioche buns.
At Hamline Church Dining Hall, located on the north side of Dan Patch Avenue between Underwood & Cooper streets
Sweet Corn Cola Float: Minnesota-made sweet corn cola and sweet corn ice cream in a cup, finished with whipped cream, popping candy and house-made frozen caramel.
At Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, located on the northeast corner of Carnes Avenue & Chambers Street
Sweet Heat Bacon Crunch: Double-smoked slab bacon tossed in RC's red barbecue sauce and topped with hot honey & chili crunch, served over a bed of white rice, and garnished with green onions.
At RC's BBQ, located on the north side of West Dan Patch Avenue between Liggett & Chambers streets
Turkey Kristo: Minnesota-made Texas toast from Pan-O-Gold Bakery, sliced Ferndale Market turkey, CannonBelles white cheddar cheese, apple butter made from locally sourced Westcott Orchard apples, and house-made spicy brown mustard mayo, dusted with powdered sugar. (White Cheddar Kristo vegetarian option uses extra cheese instead of turkey.)
At Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, located on the north side of Dan Patch Avenue between Cooper & Cosgrove streets
Walking Shepherd's Pie: Two handmade hot pastries filled with braised ground beef, mashed potatoes and a blend of onions, carrots and peas tossed in herb gravy.
At O'Gara's at the Fair, located on the southwest corner of Dan Patch Avenue & Cosgrove Street
Wrangler Waffle Burger: Fresh all-beef patty and signature Whataburger® Patty Melt Sauce layered with American cheese and served in a caramelized onion-infused Nordic Waffle.
At Nordic Waffles, located at West End Market, south section
PHOTOS: New foods at the 2024 Minnesota State Fair
New Vendors:
Chan's Eatery: Chan's Eatery serves Korean corndogs (hot dog and mozzarella cheese, battered with panko, deep-fried and finished with a dusting of cinnamon sugar. Option to add a coating of fried potatoes or to substitute toppings for hot Cheetos® with spicy mayo); Mochi donuts in eight varieties (original glaze, churro, cookies ‘n cream, Fruity Pebbles™, chocolate, strawberry, matcha and taro; Fruit and milk boba teas with optional tapioca and jelly toppings.
Located on the east side of Underwood Street between Murphy & Lee avenues
El Burrito Mercado: El Burrito Mercado serves Quesabirria Taquitos (deep-fried, rolled tacos filled with beef marinated in red sauce & cheese, topped with salsa verde and crumbled cheese); Esquites (corn kernels cooked with herbs, topped with sour cream, crumbled cheese, chile powder and lime, served in a cup); and Agua de Sandia Loca (watermelon drink with chamoy and bits of seasoned dried mango). All items are gluten-friendly.
Located at the International Bazaar, south center section
Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine: Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine serves Koshari (rice, pasta, chickpeas, lentils, tomato sauce, garlicky vinegar "dakkah" sauce, topped with fried onions) in three varieties (chicken, beef and vegetable); plus caffeine-free iced hibiscus tea. Koshari is gluten-free without pasta, and the vegetable variety is vegan.
Located south of the Grandstand Building under the Grandstand Ramp
Loon Lake Iced Tea: Loon Lake Iced Tea serves Official New Food Cotton Candy Iced Tea, plus a variety of brewed, naturally flavored, cane sugar-sweetened iced teas, including blood orange, blueberry, peach, strawberry and unsweetened.
Located on the west side of Underwood Street between Wright & Dan Patch avenues
Midtown Global Market's Indigenous Food Lab: Midtown Global Market's Indigenous Food Lab serves Official New Food Nixtamal (pronounced nix-ta-mal) & Wild Rice Bowl with Wóžapi (pronounced woh-zjah-pee) & Bison Meatballs or Sweet Potato Dumplings, with the option to add cricket & seed mix. All items are gluten-free. (Aug. 28 to Sept. 2 only)
Located in the Taste of the Midtown Global Market booth at the International Bazaar, east wall
Paella Depot: Paella Depot serves Chicken & Chorizo Paella (traditional Spanish caramelized rice dish with leeks, red bell peppers, zucchini and snap peas, with option to add fried egg or seafood). Plus, aguas frescas in six flavors made from fruit puree, whole fruit, lime juice, agave and water. All items are gluten-free and dairy-free.
Located on the south side of Judson Avenue between Clough & Nelson streets
The Minnesota State Fair is Aug. 22 through Sept. 2, 2024.
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