The Definitive Ranking Of The Most Iconic Sydney Royal Easter Show Foods
Australian culture is putting absolutely everything on a damn stick.
For anyone who lives in NSW, the Sydney Royal Easter Show is a beloved event that’s looked forward to every year.
And while the Easter Show offers adorable animals, impressive produce displays, a number of live performances, massive rides, and way too many expensive games, two things in particular are what makes the show so magical: That is, of course, show bags and fair food.
As the years have gone on, show bags have become much more accessible than they were previously — with online shopping now even an option. Meanwhile, fair food — for the most part — has remained something that you need to go to the Easter Show to access.
Sure, you can grab a Dagwood Dog at Luna Park or in the freezer section, but it just doesn’t quite taste the same. And while the rise of Korean corndogs has normalised the concept of “cheese on a stick”, they just don’t quite have the same taste that can only be found in the show version.
So, in honour of the Sydney Royal Easter Show returning for 2021, we’ve decided to rank the most iconic show foods from “I’m good, thanks” to “take all my damn money”.
Note: While the 2021 Easter Show has some new additions like Dole Whip and giant turkey legs, we’ve decided to only focus on iconic fair foods that have been knocking about for years.
11. Pasta Bowls
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While I don’t doubt that this pasta is delicious, people who attend the Easter Show need to stop acting like they’ve never had pasta before.
It’s literally just pasta. You can get it anywhere. So, why is the line for the I ❤️ Pasta stand always so long?! Just get a Dagwood Dog and move along.
10. Cheese Toastie
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While show toasties won’t break the bank at $3 a pop — and are actually some of the fair’s cheapest eats — they are still just grilled cheese sandwiches. There’s nothing particularly exciting about the snack because you can make them at home in about two minutes flat.
Anyway, part of the joy of the Easter Show is going, eating up all the yummy food, and then checking your bank account and wondering how you spent $260 in three hours — and it would take a whole lot of toasties to reach that.
9. Waffle, Lasagna, Bacon, & Dumplings On A Stick
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Enough. Society has surpassed the need to put every food imaginable on a stick.
Dagwood Dogs and cheese I can understand. Waffles on a stick are really very limit. But lasagna? Dumplings? Bacon?! WHY MUST WE PUT EVERYTHING ON A STICK? JUST SERVE THE DISH ON A PLATE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
8. Flurrito/Fairy Floss
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The Flurrito, aka Fairy Floss Burrito, might be gimmicky as hell but at least it’s inventive. Even without the burrito aspect, fairy floss is something that’s enjoyed best at the Easter Show.
While you can buy bagged fairy floss at the shop and even make it at home with a DIY kit, no fairy floss experience will be better than the one you have at a show. There’s something truly magical (and disgusting) about your face getting stained from the coloured sugar and all your show bag handles becoming super sticky from the melted floss.
7. Fresh CWA Scone
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Scones are scones, yes. But I like to imagine that every Country Women’s Association scone is made by a 120-year-old grandma who calls everyone “sweet baby” and always gives out expired lollies from her jacket pocket, so these ones are extra special.
Plus scones slap, so why not?
6. Giant Licorice
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Nothing screams Easter Show more than those fuck-off huge licorice straps that come in every flavour imaginable.
They don’t really taste all that great and most markets sell them these days, but the novelty of lugging around about three metres of licorice on the way home from the show never gets old.
5. Dutch Mini Pancakes
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Poffertjes, otherwise known as Dutch mini pancakes, are a fair staple.
There’s just something so satisfying about chowing down on a little plate of baby pancakes while you battle the wind as it blows a shitload of icing sugar onto your clothes. Is it the most inventive thing at the show? No, probably not. But is it one of the most reliable and delicious snacks? You bet.
4. Cheese On A Stick
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One of the only “on a stick” items I’ll allow at the show is cheese on a stick. After all, it is pretty difficult to eat deep-fried cheese covered in batter any other way.
But cheese on a stick is just so good. Thick crunchy batter? Check. Ooey gooey cheese? Check. Possibility of third-degree burns on the first bite straight out the fryer? Check. I mean, what more could you really ask for?
3. Fresh Lemonade
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I know, I know. Lemonade is not technically food. But the giant cups of Easter Show lemonade are just far too iconic to not get a mention.
After a long day of running around in the heat, eating everything in sight, spending $20 on one ride, and battling show bag lines, there’s truly nothing more refreshing than that first huge glug of ice-cold lemonade. Seriously, going to the show and not getting one of those giant yellow cups should be a crime, if we’re being honest with ourselves.
2. Dagwood Dog
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Whether you call them Dagwood Dogs or Pluto Pups or Hotdog on a Stick, Dagwoods are everything the Easter Show is about. Yes, you can buy them in the freezer aisle but I assure you it is not the same.
At the show, there are countless trucks selling the battered sausages, and dipping your dog into the huge vat of tomato sauce is an Australian rite of passage at this point. Seriously. Have you ever really lived until you’ve been forced to eat your first Dagwood Dog bite that’s 97 percent tomato sauce?
1. Chip On A Stick
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There is no denying that the most iconic fair food is the chip on a stick. There’s something about eating a spiralized potato that’s just so satisfying.
I truly believe that chip on a stick has magic powers: One bite of the overly salted edible slinky, and you instantly get transported right back to your youth. One second I’ll be at the Easter Show eating a chip on a stick, and the next I’m suddenly sitting on a bench and swinging my legs off the ground like I’m three feet tall.
To be honest, at the Easter Show they’re barely ever fresh, but it doesn’t even matter. Chip on a stick is less about the taste, and more about the vibes. Team Chip on a Stick, forever.
Michelle Rennex is a senior writer at Junkee. She loves a cheeky chip on a stick and tweets at @michellerennex.