The ABC’s of carnival snacks
by Jennifer G. Castro on November 25, 2007
From the old and toothless to the young and restless, a carnival experience is never complete without munching away caramel popcorn or gulping down a flavored sundae. Getting hands sticky from sweets and waiting in line to buy corn dogs are always part of the carnival fun.
Now, as carnival snacks break into the commercial scene, one need not wait for carnival season to delight in these snacks.
The beginnings
From the Latin word, “carne-levare,” which means “stop eating meat,” carnivals were mostly celebrated during the Romans’ Saturnalia, a seasonal festival with complex rituals and an exchange of goods and sweets, and even the crowning of a slave as king.
The main attraction of these carnivals was the rich variety of sweets like gnocchi, lasagna, tortelli and the modern-day prototype of fritelle (carnival fritters made of sweet pasta coated with sugar and honey). Eventually, carnival snacks hit America’s rich carnival heritage.
Carnival staples
The most popular snacks include cotton candy, snow cones, and corn dogs.
Cotton candy was already popular in Italy in the 1940’s, as households would melt sugar in a pan and use a fork to wind out threads of sugar over an upside down bowl.
With only a hundred calories, cotton candy or fairy floss is made through caramelization, forming light, thread-like strands. It was first introduced at the St. Louis World’s Fair, the same fair that gave rise to the waffle cone, iced tea, German hot dogs, and Dr. Pepper, the first carbonated drink.
First introduced at the Texas State Fair in 1919, snow cones, colorful, dome-shaped shaved ice snacks with sugary syrup, have become more popular with time. Samuel Bert, inventor of the snow cone-making machine, sold them at the State Fair until his death in 1984.
Corn dogs were also introduced in the Texas State Fair, but in 1942, years after the snow cone. Hotdog on a Stick was the first hotdog stand that served them as part of its menu. Its first variations were known as the “crusty cur” and the “cozy dog.”
Carnival staples – in stores!
The innovation of new and fancy food machines saw the rise of commercialized versions of cotton candy, corn dogs and snow cone.
Now a household name, cotton candy comes in colorful packages and flavors. The local craze, Candy Clouds, is popular among the Filipino youth, and comes in creative pink and blue fancy wrap.
“I think it’s nice to have stuff like that available whenever we feel like buying them,” says Osmond Go (III AB Comm).
“I actually like it. It’s convenient and you know you’re not getting ripped off because the contents are strictly measured. And it lasts longer,” adds Alexandra Parungo (I AB LitEng).
The snow cone may have been a precursor to Slurpee and Slush Puppies. Famous in all 7-Eleven stores, Slurpee is a frozen treat of slush and flavor, combining drinks such as frozen Coke, Dr. Pepper Vanilla, Mountain Dew, and Pepsi.
Meanwhile, Slush Puppie is a non-alcoholic drink consisting of a base flavored syrup and ice shavings. It comes in various flavors like Mixed Berry, Sour Apple, Strawberry-Kiwi, and Tropical Bahama.
The popularization of corn dogs has achieved a sovereign status over all other “meat-on-a-stick” combo. Credits go to the National Corndog Day celebrated every Saturday at the NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Championship. More so, annual Corn Dog Styling contests are held with very amusing entries, like a corn dog band called “New York Dogs,” Snoop Dog (a corn dog that looks like the famous rapper Snoop Dogg), a Louis Vuitton signature logo corn dog, and a Jessica Simpson corn dog.
Carnival foods have come a long way since it infiltrated the commercial scene. With carnival foods transcending the carnivals themselves, these foods are here to stay—and are just around the corner.
