Eat your heart out: A preview of tasty treats available at the SEMO District Fair

State fair cuisine remains unmatched in terms of novelty, decadence and downright practicality.

Fair season brings with it a handful of culinary delights that we look forward to the rest of the year, and Wes Campbell, director of outdoor concessions at the SEMO District Fair, promises this year will be no exception.

"We have all the typical fair and festival type foods," he says.

First and foremost, there's cotton candy, the plain dealer of carnival food. It doesn't claim to be anything other than itself: pure sugar on a stick. Missourians in particular enjoy a unique history with the treat. Cotton candy made its debut at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Feeling sluggish after a long few days of fairgoing? The sugar buzz alone is enough to make one feel like a kid again.

For the incorrigible sweet tooth, Campbell explains there are also caramel apples, sno-cones, ice cream -- soft-serve and homemade -- and non-alcoholic daquiris.

If the sweets haven't ruined your appetite, Campbell highly reccommends the main course vendors.

"We have hamburgers, turkey legs, Philly cheese sandwiches and the 4-H pork burgers," he says. "People always look forward to those pork burgers."

Campbell himself, however, is partial to the shishkebabs.

"I really enjoy the shishkebabs," he says. "But I also like a good old-fashioned corndog."

He may have a point.

If you allow yourself only one item of fair food, it probably ought to be a corndog, arguably the most iconic of all the foods-on-a-stick.

State fairs are possibly the fullest incarnation of our nation's love affair with the deep fryer -- ravioli, Twinkies, Snickers, beer. Sometimes, it seems, the fact that something might fit in the fryer is enough of a reason to justify frying it, trying it and hawking it at the fair.

"They're always coming up with something new, these vendors," says Campbell.

But nobody's complaining.

After all, that's what brought us the funnel cake. It's the doughnut's quirky uncle, a cluster of deep-fried batter dusted with powdered sugar served up on a paper plate with plenty of napkins. It's a good idea to go Dutch with a loved one for a funnel cake. The way the tangle of dough breaks apart makes it perfect to share.

Also great for sharing are the curly fries, several kettlecorn varieties, roasted nuts and pretzels that will be waiting at this year's SEMO District Fair.

"It'll cover just about anything you're after. One of the things that draws people to the fair is the food," Campbell explains. "And this year they brought a whole variety."