For anyone who closely follows politics and over-the-top Midwestern food, the 2023 Iowa State Fair just wrapped up with over 1.1 million people in attendance.
The event is huge not only for every Midwesterner that has the opportunity to eat their way through the many foods on a stick, but also for presidential candidates looking to secure their nomination ahead of the Iowa caucus.
Despite the usual political buzz during this time, there's now one thing people cannot stop talking about: the famed butter cow. Or should I say, the wire mesh cow covered in butter.
That's right, the beloved butter cow sculpture isn't just a big hunk of butter like we were all made to believe. It all started when this image was tweeted of butter being scraped from the fair's butter cow, revealing a mesh structure underneath. After a little digging, we found that this tragic incident was actually captured at the 2023 Illinois State Fair.
Naturally, the internet ran with it and assumed it was the Iowa State Fair's cow. But that doesn't change the fact that it easily could've been, as the practice is standard at both fairs. The worst part? This info has been right under everyone's nose the whole time via the state fair sites.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I feel weirdly betrayed that the Iowa State Fair butter cow turns out to be a mesh sculpture covered in slabs of butter instead of a cow entirely made of butter. https://t.co/OVtHkp8vmQ
A detailed description on the Iowa State Fair site reveals that their butter cow also starts with "a wood, metal, wire, and steel mesh frame" that's then covered with a layer of butter. Let's just say the behind-the-scenes reveal has left the internet in an absolute state of shock.
just found out the butter cow isnt made out of butter it's but a butter coat over a regular statue and i am going to need 72 full hours to recover this is so fucked up, my whole life is a lie
The Iowa butter cow isn’t even structurally butter, it’s only superficially butter clad. What else aren’t they telling you. How deep do the lies go. Are the deep fried Oreos actually baked? https://t.co/CI3SGwivqL
And if you're wondering, "Where the heck does all that butter go?!" I have an even more shocking fact for you: It's recycled and can be reused for up to 10 years! Truly wild stuff.
My heart goes out to all Midwesterners during this difficult time.
