You've Never Seen State Fair Food Like This

"After immigrating to the state nearly 40 years ago, and building a family in Minneapolis, she had walked the iconic fairgrounds with her children. But for the first time, she would stand on the other side of the counter as a vendor among nearly 300 concessions offering some 1,600 foods. Mohamed, the Somali entrepreneur behind Hoyo Sambusa, knew the fair was her chance to bring sambusas -fried triangular pastries filled with lentils and piled high in a giant cone-to an unprecedented audience."

"For 12 days each year, nearly two million people pack the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul to celebrate the state's best. The large majority are Minnesotans, but a strong minority travel from places as far as France and South Korea to gorge on dairy or bizarre on-a-stick creations that defy both health and common sense. This gastro-Bacchanalia might look unchanged from a few decades ago, with 90-pound butter sculptures and century-old barns, towering carnival rides, and extravagant displays of agriculture."

Minnesota State Fair draws nearly two million visitors over 12 days, with about 300 concessions offering roughly 1,600 different foods. Vendors now include immigrant cuisines such as sambusas, fried triangular pastries filled with lentils and often presented in giant cones. Mariam Mohamed, the Somali entrepreneur behind Hoyo Sambusa, became a vendor after immigrating to the state nearly 40 years ago. Visitors come from across Minnesota and from countries such as France and South Korea to sample dairy and unusual on-a-stick creations. The fair retains classic elements like 90-pound butter sculptures, century-old barns, towering rides, and agricultural displays. State fairs have long evolved to mirror shifting tastes and demographics.

Read at Bon Appetit