LA County Fair 2017: New Cricket Tacos

The September spectacular just revealed some of its sure-to-be-talked-about eats.

A loyal fair goer can count on a few cherished staples to show up, time and again, when the bulb-bright, pig-squealy, Ferris-fabulous festival puts the tent stakes into the ground after a near year away.

One? There will be games involving the throwing of small hoops onto the necks of bottles. Two? You'll likely pet something small, fluffy, and sweet. And three? Your favorite foods'll be well-stocked, from churros to chili dogs to cotton candy.

But hey now: You just know there'll be offbeat edibles and new tastes to try, and just because never-seen-before bites are in the spotlight doesn't mean your go-to dishes won't be around. 

The return of churros and chili dogs is as certain as the stars coming out at night, so worry not.

The upshot? The LA County Fair has had 95 years to perfect the tried-and-true noshables attendees return for and make room for some zany additions. And while the 2017 Pomona bash is still nearly five months out, fans can start to ponder what they'll be sampling at the Sept. 1-24 affair.

Cricket tacos seems like an obvious, conversation-starting headliner, but those won't be the only critter-based snacks at The Bug Barn. Chef Cricket's Culinary Tasting Kitchen & Bug Tasting Bar will offer an assortment of squicky (at first glance) and yummy (at first try) bites, from salted grasshoppers to honey mustard crickets.

Honey. Mustard. Crickets. Daydream about those for the next five months.

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But the palate-pleasing newness doesn't end at The Bug Barn. Also on the menu at the 2017 fair? A Nutella funnel cake, Flamin' Hot Cheetos roasted corn on the cob, vegan jackfruit nachos, and, hold up, The Pickle Cheese, "a giant dill pickle stuffed with jalapeño cheese dip, dipped in corn dog batter and deep fried."

We mean. Really. That treat alone could ably crowd out all other contenders in our five-month-long daydreams, too.

The spirit of "Countdown to 100," the LA County Fair's centennial, is revving up this year, too, given that the momentous occasion is just a half-decade out.

How many deep-fried, corn dog batter-battered, cheese-stuffed pickles will be happily gnawed upon between now and 2022? Or cricket tacos? Or Nutella funnel cakes?

The answer is "so very many," thanks to the enduring popularity of this everything-and-more exposition.

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