Wasabi ice cream, Kool-Aid fried chicken, butter chicken corn dog on CNE menu

Uncrustable thick-cut bacon cheeseburgers (left) and macaroni and cheese popsicles (right) are just some of the CNE's food offerings in 2024. (CP24/Francis Gibbs)

Wasabi ice cream, Kool-Aid fried chicken and deep fried pickle Oreos are among the wilder food concoctions on the CNE menu this year.

The Canadian National Exhibition has revealed a new batch of gastronomic experiments that include wasabi flavoured soft serve topped with orange sugar pearls and roasted seaweed, and New York-style cheesecake topped with tzatziki buttercream and pita chips.

Jumbo-sized offerings include a footlong samosa stuffed with potatoes and peas, a 38-centimetre doughnut weighing nearly a kilogram, and a whole deep-fried soft-shell crab on a stick.

Along with midway rides and exhibitions, crazy food offerings are an annual draw for the summer carnival, which kicks off Friday.

Other menu items this year include butter chicken corn dogs, lavender lemonade, ube sesame street corn and chicken tenders covered in fruity cereal.

The CNE runs to Sept. 2.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2024.