Thanks to Media Day at the Indiana State Fair, I had the opportunity to sample many of this year’s featured foods before the fair officially opened. There were some combinations that sounded a little strange at first, but a lot of them ended up being surprisingly good. After trying almost everything, here are my thoughts.
My overall favorite: Soul Train Egg Rolls
My favorite item of the day was definitely the Soul Train Egg Rolls from J&J A Taste of Home Catering. They were crispy on the outside and stuffed with seasoned jerk chicken, cabbage, rice and cheese on the inside. It had just the right amount of spice. When I go back to the fair I will be purchasing one of these.
Biggest surprise: Bacon Jalapeño Honey Bun Burger
When I first heard “honey bun burger,” I honestly thought there was no way it would taste good. Adding jalapeños made it sound nasty. But after taking the first bite, I was surprised. The sweetness of the honey bun worked well with the jalapeños. It shouldn’t work … but it did.
Best pizza
I tried both Buffalo Chicken Dip Pizza and Pickle Pesto Pizza.
The Buffalo Chicken Dip Pizza was really good. It had a lot of buffalo flavor, and the tortilla chips added a nice crunch.
Even though I liked it, my favorite of the two was the Pickle Pesto Pizza. I already like pickles, but the pesto really made the pizza stand out. I would definitely order this one again.
Best dessert
The Strawberry Shortcake from the Gobble Food Truck was one of the best desserts I tried all day. The strawberries tasted fresh, the cake was soft, and the whipped cream tied everything together.
Drinks
The Blue Raspberry Milkshake was a surprise. It was creamy, refreshing, and definitely worth trying.
My favorite drink was the Tropical Breeze Boba Lemonade. It had a great flavor, and the boba made it fun.
Other favorites
The Pork Rind Nachos were better than I expected. I wasn’t sure how pork rinds would work instead of tortilla chips, but they stayed crunchy and paired well with the pork, queso, barbecue sauce, and sour cream.
One thing I couldn’t do …
The only food I refused to try was The S’Mork.
Pulled pork…marshmallow…on a fried sugar biscuit?
I know everyone has different tastes, but pork and marshmallows together just didn’t sound like something I could eat. Maybe someone else will love it, but I’ll let them be the judge.
Final thoughts
After tasting so many different foods, I definitely understand why people look forward to the Indiana State Fair every year. There were a lot of creative ideas, and several of them ended up being much better than I thought.
If I had to suggest just a few foods, they would be:
- Soul Train Egg Rolls
- Pickle Pesto Pizza
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Tropical Breeze Boba Lemonade
- Bacon Jalapeño Honey Bun Burger
If you’re planning a trip to the Indiana State Fair, these are definitely some foods worth checking out.
Adama Ouattara, 15, is a sophomore at Tindley Accelerated High School.
