There were the usual treats at the fair. Kids had cotton candy. There were stands selling candy apples, corn dogs, ice cream sticks covered with chocolate and peanuts, mini cake donuts and shaved ice with a mixture of colors and flavours. The most popular treat was deep fried butter balls. Three of them on a long, sharp stick constituted an order. And there was always a long line-up of people waiting to buy these treats. 

I had a sample. It was good. Coated with flour and bread crumbs on the outside for some crunch, the butter had been mixed with cream cheese. Then the concoction was deep fried for a few seconds. The result was a still-solid, creamy filling with a hint of salt. 

I had never seen anything like this, let alone tasted butter sever in this manner. I had to look to see if this treat was mentioned online. Paula Deen, from the Food Network, has the recipe and instructions:

link:   Paula's Fried Butter Balls

To state the obvious, this is not a health food. The immense popularity of these treats means that medical schools cannot have enough places in their cardiology programs.

Catherine Forsythe