Carnival Food Ideas
Whether you are thinking of organizing a full carnival party with bells and whistles or a carnival themed birthday party for your kid, there are lots of logistics involved that you need to oversee. Carnival parties are fun-filled parties which can be held both indoors and outdoors. Once you have got your invitations, decorations and carnival game ideas for the party sorted out, you can decide on the menu for the carnival party. Carnival food should be simple and delicious and you need not serve gourmet food for such a party. The whole idea of having a carnival party is to have a gathering of people who can let down their hair and uninhibitedly enjoy themselves. So the food should reflect this casual and fun atmosphere. Fuss free, simple and delicious food that is tasty and lip smacking is what you should be aiming to provide. For a carnival party, leave your fine dining restaurant presented food aside and stick to a more simple fare. Here we are going to discuss some carnival food ideas that you can take inspiration from for your very own carnival party.
Selecting a Menu for a Carnival Theme Party
For a carnival party, proper menu selection is of absolute importance. Since it is not going to be a formal sit down dinner or even a cocktail party, you need to select food items that guests can eat while moving about. Bite sized appetizers and finger foods works the best. Anything that is dripping with gravy or requires a fork and spoon to eat is not going to work. If it is carnival party for kids, then you need to make sure that the food is something that kids are familiar with, because it is very unlikely that kids are going to try out unfamiliar looking food. Having said that, do experiment with new cuisines and flavors to come up with some interesting menu selection.
A novel party food idea for a carnival theme kids birthday party is to have a cupcake decorating station. This is sure to enthrall kids and they can enjoy decorating their own cupcakes. To set up a cupcake decorating station, all you need to do is bake a few dozen cupcakes on the day of the party and prepare different kinds of frosting. Divide the frosting into different plastic bowls and add different food colorings in it. Place the cupcakes with the frosting and some other decorative items like sprinklers, mini gum drops and edible flowers on a table. Ask kids to decorate the cupcakes as they wish and announce a winner for the best cupcake decoration.
Carnival Theme Party Food Ideas
Food items like hotdogs, fried chicken nuggets, nachos and corn on the cob are excellent options for a carnival party. They are simple to make and delicious to eat. You do not need to serve anything overly fancy in a carnival party. In keeping with the spirit of the carnival, you should serve ready-made cotton candy. No carnival is complete without cotton candy and kids are sure to be delighted with it. It is best to have a selection of both savory and sweet items in the party. Easy to make and easy to assemble dishes like corn cakes, tortilla chips with dips, mini burgers and mini pizzas are also great ideas for carnival food. You can also serve corn fritters, salted peanuts, French fries, candied apples, macaroons, popcorn and mini quiches in the party.
Carnival Party Food Recipes
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Ingredients
- 6 corn on the cobs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Salt, to taste
- Paprika powder, to taste
In a small bowl, mix the salt and paprika powder with the softened butter. Clean and remove the husk from the corn. Brush the softened butter over the corn and place them in a grill to cook for 10 - 12 minutes. When the corn is slightly charred and tender, remove from grill and serve immediately.
Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 4 grilled chicken breasts
- Taco shells
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- cup torn romaine lettuce
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Shred the grilled chicken breast and keep it aside. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with a tablespoon of lime juice and the zest of one lemon. Add the chopped cilantro. Next, fill the taco shells with a shredded chicken, chopped tomatoes and onions and romaine lettuce. Add a generous helping of mayonnaise mixture and serve immediately.
These were some carnival food ideas that you can use for throwing a carnival party. Don't forget to provide refreshing drinks like lemonade and punch to your guests along with the food. With proper planning a carnival party can be a successful one where everybody has a lot of fun.
