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How To Find The State Fair's Hidden New Foods

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- There are 32 new foods at the State Fair this year, but there are also several other new foods that aren't featured on the official list.

Some think the State Fair advertises all of its new food, but that's not the case. Sometimes vendors turn in their submissions late, or sometimes they're too similar to other food items.

So as you map out your state fair meal plan, know there are several hidden new foods -- you just have to know where to look.

For years, walleye on a stick has done its one thing really well.

"We have a lot of repeat business with what we do," manager Paul Hansen said.

But this year, Hansen wanted to bring a new option to the menu -- walleye balls. It's a new fair food that didn't make the marketing blitz.

walleye balls
Walleye Balls (credit: CBS)

"We weren't a part of the new new food stuff because we were told it was a little too like something else that was already here," Hansen said.

Potatoes, walleye and seasonings are deep fried and served four to an order.

If you're looking to wash down the walleye balls with a little caffeine, Moe and Joe's coffee is joining in the latest trend in coffee shops -- nitro-infused coffee. It's like a smoother, almost sweeter, coldpress brewed with nitrogen in a manner similar to beer.

nitro coffee
Nitro Coffee (credit: CBS)

And for the sweet tooth, you can try a twist on a Minnesota staple at Lynn's Lefse -- a bacon brown sugar lefse.

"They see this and think, 'Oh, I haven't had this since grandma made it when I was a kid!'" Marie Koblas of Lynn's Lefse said. "It brings back a lot of memories."

bacon brown sugar lefse
Bacon brown sugar lefse (credit: CBS)

Grandma probably never thought to add candied bacon and brown sugar to the butter and traditional potato lefse.

"Every body loves it. Bacon goes well with everything," Koblas said.

It's a sweet and savory option for a traditional Scandinavian delicacy.

Lefse and walleye balls are in the food building. Nitro coffee is next to the Miracle of Birth Center. Next Monday, we'll have three more hidden foods new to the fair this year.

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