I've decided to take down several old articles from the
candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog. This week I'm posting an article I wrote after a day at the county fair. I love state, county, national, or any kind of carnival or fair.
On a hot summer day there is nothing better than to head off to the county fair. It doesn't really matter where you live, going out to support your local agricultural industry is important. Just remember that if it weren’t for farmers you wouldn't eat. They toil day and night working long hours so you can enjoy a quality of life that is so amazing. Going to a fair is important, because you not only support them by paying admission, but you also tell our farming friends that you know they work hard and give them their moment in the sun. You can do all this, and still ride the tilt-a-whirl so many times that you can't keep the corn dog and candy apple you ate down. That's why we live in a great society.
We here at Candy Critic decided to head down to our local fair (the Super Ex) here in Ottawa and pay tribute to what could be the most important resource in the world, carnival candy. We decided to take a look at three treats that we enjoyed at the fair and review them. We chose the treats based on their fair-like qualities. Mainly:
How exclusive they are to fairs or carnivals.
How traditional they are in our minds.
How close in proximity they were to the fishing game, because it's a winner every time.
Treat Number one
Beer Nuts
Beer nuts are what a fair is all about. I love these things. Best of all, I love the fact that I can take them home. Although they're not as good later on, I usually pick up a couple of packs for later in the week. Speaking of fresh, I think beer nuts, although tasty, might be one of the bigger scams in the carnival world. They always claim they're fresh, but they always come in a sealed bag. Sure they were probably made that day, but I doubt they were "just made" as most beer nut booths will claim. I can't prove them wrong, but it just seems unlikely.
The odd thing about beer nuts that I just can't figure out is: why do they call them beer nuts? They're candy-coated peanuts. They're really lumpy too, but candy coated nonetheless. Maybe they put beer in the candy coating to give it the unique flavour, but I don't really taste it. Maybe it's that they go well with beer.
Beer nuts are by far my favourite classic carnival food, I never go to one and not pick up a bag.
Treat Number two
Cotton Candy
I just recently learned that the average bag of cotton candy, or candy floss, has only two or three tablespoons of sugar. My question is: what makes up the rest of it? What I mean by this is that I'm pretty confident cotton candy is basically just sugar, colouring and air. I'm thinking there must be a lot of air, if this is the case. Not that it's a problem; I'm a great believer in candy negative space, what would an Aero bar be without the air? I've also had the fortune of eating some old candy floss after the air has leaked out, and it's not great.
The thing about candy floss is the texture. It is really the bread and butter of this treat. I've eaten some great flavoured candy floss, but for the most part it only has one flavour... Candy Floss. I judge my cotton candy by how fluffy it is and how colourful it is. Fluffy tells you how fresh it might be. If you get a rock hard ball, chances are it's been around for a while. Colour, on the other hand, is just a personal thing. To be honest, I'm always a little disappointed to see only pink and blue cotton candy when I buy it. I know they make more colours, but for some reason they just never seem to be available.
My batch today was nice and fresh; it also made my fingers super sticky.
Treat Number three
Mini Donuts
I don't know where you're from, but the mini donut thing is fairly new around my parts. I say fairly new because in the realm of carnivals, a confection that's around for less than 50 years is still pretty new. Most carnival treats have been around longer than just about anybody reading this article. Mini donuts are great. Covered in some kind of sugar flavoured powder, or in some cases just powdered sugar, it's a must on a trip to the fair.
The batch I tried on this particular day had to be one of the best I've ever had; so good that I would say it was the treat of the fair for me this year. Normally when I get these round treats, they're a little soft on the outside, but these ones had a bit of a crunch. A nice surprise if you ask me. Donuts work so well with a bit of a crunch, something I'd recommend anybody to try. Sure, being cake-like all around is ok, but crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside is really a nice change. I don't think most donut shops have the ability to create something like this and keep a good shelf-life so I don't blame them, but if you're making them fresh and you can't do this, you should be ashamed.
The surprise treat of the day. I liked it even more than my fresh, handmade corndog.
CC
