State fairs are known for one thing above all others: food. While fairs teach people about livestock and agriculture, the food is the biggest draw. The specialized cuisine is notorious for large portions, weird ideas, and deep-fried everything. You might not think that butter falls into that category, but you would be wrong. Deep-fried butter that’s dunked in honey cinnamon batter, dropped into a deep fryer for a little over a minute, and then topped with a sweet glaze is more popular than you would imagine. So who invented deep-fried butter? That’s where the argument begins. Some believe it was Larry Fyfe, who first introduced the decadent treat at the Iowa State Fair in 2011, while others believe it was Abel Gonzales, Jr., who won an award for his deep-fried butter concoction at the Texas State Fair in 2009. The difference between Fyfe's take and Gonzales' is the way they're served. While Gonzales served up pats of butter, closer to bite-sized pieces, Fyfe literally put half a stick of butter on a wooden skewer before frying it and serving it — and he only charged $4 to fair goers for the treat. Regardless of who the actual inventor is, deep-fried butter is widely considered one of the most extreme examples of American carnival and fair food culture.
