Indian Foods Guide

Your Guide to the Best Food on the Planet

WTF What Texas Fried - at the 2012 State Fair


 

The Texas State Fair is an annual event held in Dallas during the Fall, usually held some time in September and October. The Texas State Fair is the largest state fair in the US with over 2 million attendees in2010. The fair has a number of things that people of all ages can do such as see new auto products, learn about wine, learn about farming, enjoy of few rides and of course sample some great food, not just anyfood but "Fried Food". One of the biggest things at the fair over the last few years has been the various types of fried foods. We had only heard about the various fried foods but were quite amazed to see thatthey fry anything. 

The fried food is available all over the place but if you want to sample something specific, you may have to figure out where exactly that is being sold. We took pictures of the food stands and came up with all thefried products we could find. Turns out, you can have a complete fried meal - from drinks to desserts. We found so many fried things but no Fried Rice. :-)

Warning - your cholesterol and blood sugar levels may go up just by reading the list below. 

 


Drinks
  • Fried Beer
  • Fried Lemonade
  • Deep Fried Frozen Margarita
Appetizers
  • Fried Pork Wings - See pigs can fly 
  • Nachos Fried Chicken
  • Deep Fried Chicken Waffle  
  • Fried Butter 
  • Chicken Fried Cactus Bites
  • Picnic on a Stick 
Main Course
  • Fried Jambalaya - Winner of Best Taste 2012 
  • Deep Fried Mac and Cheese Sliders
  • Fried BBQ Ribs
  • Fried Cheese Burger Balls
  • Fried Mexican Firecrackers
  • Fried Burger
Desserts
  • Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll - Winner Most Creative 2012
  • Deep-Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
  • Funnel Cake Fries
  • Fried PB & J - Fried Bread Pudding
  • Fried S'mores
  • Red Velvet Fried Cup Cake
  • Fried Pecan Pie
  • Fried Moonpie
  • Fried Autumn Pumpkin Pie
  • Fried Cheesecake
  • Texas Fried Frito Pie
Last but not the Least 
  • Fried Bubblegum - almost  tempted to buy this just to see what this could be. 
What did we sample you ask? Well, we stayed away from the fried food and found a nice truck called the Good Karma Kitchen that served some good vegan and organic food (who let these guys in?). It was very tasty. 

Unfortunately on the final weekend, the biggest fried thing at the state fair was Big Tex. Big Tex was a 52 ft statue and marketing icon of the state fair. Unfortunately, he caught fire and burned down. 

Read more: WTF What Texas Fried - at the 2012 State Fair

Mate - Infusion Tea from Uruguay


 

Mate (pronounced Maa-tey) is a traditional South American infused drink that is very popular in Uruguay and neighboring countries, particularly in Argentina, Paraguay, southern states of Brazil, south of Chile and the Bolivian Chaco. During my stay in Uruguay, I have seen everyone drinking Mate. People have it at their homes, at the office and even walking around the city.


It is prepared from steeping dried leaves of yerba (pronounced sherba) mate in hot water. As with other brewed herbs, yerba mate leaves are dried, chopped, and ground into a powdery mixture called yerba.Mate is served in a shared hollow calabash gourd and is served with a metal straw. The dried calabash gourd is dried to make it hard and then the outside is wrapped with a leather shell. The straw is called a bombilla in some Latin American countries.

The straw is traditionally made of silver. Modern, commercially available straws are typically made of nickel silver, called Alpaca; stainless steel, or hollow-stemmed cane. The bombilla acts as both a straw and a sieve. The submerged end is flared, with small holes or slots that allow the brewed liquid in, but block the chunky matter that makes up much of the mixture.


To make the mate, the calabash gourd is filled with the dried leaves of the yerba and then filled with hot water from a thermos. In the workplace, a thermos or kettle is shared among the employees. Using the bombilla straw, mate is slowly sipped and enjoyed. You can see how it looks in the pictures below. I will buy a Mate set this weekend and taste it next week. 

Read more: Mate - Infusion Tea from Uruguay

Chivito - Sandwich Style Dish from Uruguay


 

We are currently visiting Uruguay and will be sharing some of the popular recipes and dishes from this country. Uruguayan cuisine is traditionally based on its European roots, in particular, Mediterranean food from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France, but also from countries such as Germany and Britain, along with African and indigenous mixtures. The first dish we are featuring is a local sandwich-like dish called the Chivito.  

As you can see in the picture, the Chivito consists primarily of a thin slice of filet mignon (churrasco beef), with mayonnaise, black or green olives, mozzarella, tomatoes and commonly also bacon, fried or hardboiled eggs and ham. It is served in a bun, often with a side of French fries. Other ingredients might be added into the sandwich such as red beets, peas, grilled or pan-fried red peppers and slices of cucumber.

The Chivito I had was made of chicken and had lettuce and peppers as well. The chicken and bacon seemed to be grilled with the egg making the flavors quite interesting. 

The word Chivito literally means "little goat" or "baby goat". It is claimed the name arose at a restaurant in Uruguay, when a patron who was from the northern part of Argentina (Cordoba) ordered baby goat meat ("chivito") like one that she had ordered in Argentina. She was looking for a special taste, something similar to what she had experienced in her region. But since the restaurant owner Mr. Cabrera did not have this specialty, he served his toasted bread with ham, sliced filet mignon and seasoned it with different ingredients.

If you are like me from India, then you may fine the Chivito just about OK as its not very spicy or contain any spices. I personally do not like the taste of olives so probably the next time, I will try it without the olives and with beef. If you do end up visiting Uruguay, don't miss this national treat.  Stay tuned for some more dishes from Uruguay. 

Source :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivito_(sandwich)


Read more: Chivito - Sandwich Style Dish from Uruguay

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