Each year, the Florida State Fair offers visitors its typical assortment of midway rides, games, agricultural exhibits, and events — including Florida's Largest Home Show and the Florida RV Supershow.
What's not typical, however are the array of unique — and some might say bizarre — food offerings.
This year's fair is no exception.
Along with some (non-alcoholic) refreshments to take the edge off Florida's heat, this year's fair food includes a twist on a signature Florida dessert, and a dish that combines Tampa's rich history and the yearly staple that's a must for most fair-goers.
The fair runs from Feb. 9-20. Visitors can purchase their tickets in advance on the fair's website along with select Wawa locations.
And be sure to check back here for an updated list of foods being offered at the fair, as well as a list of events.
Walking Nacho Dog
If you're in the mood for a hot dog, this one features a bit of a kick, with jalapeño peppers, chips, and a cheese sauce.
Mexican Street Corn Sundae
Another Latin take on a typically American dish. It features french fries, but with a Southwestern flavor. The fries are topped with warm Chile con Queso cheese, sweet corn, cilantro lime crema, and topped with Cajun shrimp or sirloin steak.
Fried Key Lime Pie
Key lime purists might struggle with this one. The dessert that Florida helped make famous is served in a cup, along with bits of mini-doughnuts and a graham cracker crumble, and coated with buttercream frosting. If that wasn't sweet enough, throw in a white chocolate topping and whipped cream.
Watermelon Sweet Tea
If you need to wash down all of that key lime sweetness, try a sweet tea with a dose of watermelon juice. You can even make it an "Arnold Palmer" by adding some fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Tampa Cuban Funnel Cake Sandwich
It's everything that makes a Tampa Cuban sandwich famous — Spanish pork, smoked ham, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, and mustard. But instead of being pressed inside Cuban bread, it's assembled with funnel cakes that are pressed and topped with doughnut glaze. Here's your interesting take on sweet and savory.
Sweet Potato Apple Pie
Here's another blend of sweet and savory. A baked sweet potato, topped with butter, cinnamon, sugar apples, and whipped cream. (Come to think of it, you may want to put this on your Thanksgiving dessert list).
Nacho Mama
The name might actually be more interesting than the dish itself. Nacho fans will appreciate the blend of homemade corn tortilla chips topped with tenderloin steak and everything else we love about nachos (including jalapeños, sauteed peppers and onions, green onions, nacho cheese, and ranch dressing).
Mangonada
If a sweet watermelon tea isn't your thing, perhaps a slushy mix of mangos topped with a sweet tangy syrup, lime tangy salt, and a spicy tamarind stick is more to your liking.
Cookie Taco Supreme
One definitely for the sweet-tooth and S'mores fans. A chocolate chip cookie serves as the taco shell and is filled with S'mores ice cream and topped with Oreos and a chocolate dip. And, of course, whipped cream.
Cowboy Quesadilla
Another Southwestern influence. This "Texas-sized" quesadilla is filled with barbecue chicken, black beans, corn, and cheese.
