{"id":5801,"date":"2026-05-14T09:22:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7644870\/spam-fries-ramen-doughnuts-calgary-stampede-unveils-artery-clogging-menu\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T15:16:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T22:16:42","slug":"spam-fries-ramen-doughnuts-calgary-stampede-unveils-artery-clogging-menu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5801\/spam-fries-ramen-doughnuts-calgary-stampede-unveils-artery-clogging-menu\/","title":{"rendered":"Spam fries, ramen doughnuts: Calgary Stampede unveils artery-clogging menu"},"content":{"rendered":"

CALGARY \u2014 <\/p>\n

Calgary Stampede Princess Sarah O’Brien and First Nations Princess Raegan First Rider took a deep breath Thursday before taking a big bite of “What the Duck,” a creation unveiled for the Stampede’s midway this summer.<\/p>\n

The concoction of a duck breast, paired with crispy fried century egg on a bao bun was one of the dishes available for the media.<\/p>\n

“It’s different but it’s pretty good. It goes really well with the hoisin sauce and the duck and the bao bun is really delicious. I think I would give this one a 9 out of 10,” said O’Brien with First Rider nodding in agreement.<\/p>\n

“I think this was the thing I was most nervous of — duck and a century egg and a bao bun seems like a crazy item but surprisingly it goes really well together.”<\/p>\n

Century eggs are a Chinese delicacy made by preserving duck eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for several weeks to months. The process turns the white into a dark brown, jelly-like substance and the yolk into a creamy, savory, umami-packed centre. <\/p>\n

“Century is a duck egg, a preserved duck egg. You could eat it raw too. It’s an Asian Chinese culture thing,” said Tim Cheng of Dumpling Hero, who invented the dish.<\/p>\n

Other foods on the 2026 menu include doughnuts filled with cheese, topped with a golden crust of ramen noodles, as well as Spam fries and candied pickles on a stick.<\/p>\n

Cheese pizza dipped in corn dog batter, dusted with Cheetos seasoning and tossed in the deep fryer are the creation of Jason Sheardown, the culinary director for Pizza 73.<\/p>\n

“I’m the guy responsible for deep-frying slices. How do we make it stand out and be crazy and be worthy of a Calgary Stampede midway?” he asked.<\/p>\n

“Now you’ve got two great things combined into one delicious, deep-fried monstrosity.”<\/p>\n

They’re just some of the artery-clogging items featured on this summer’s Stampede menu.<\/p>\n

The lineup may seem a little less daunting than last year for food aficionados, who got the chance to chow down on mopane worm poutine.<\/p>\n

Ashley Warner, the Stampede’s midway manager, said exhibitors spend months developing imaginative and exclusive dishes.<\/p>\n

“They take all year to look outside of Calgary and Alberta,” she said. “They are looking at other events. They’re really exploring so that you’ll see a real variety of things.”<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2026.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Tim Cheng holds a platter of “What the Duck,” bao buns with duck breast and a crispy fried century egg at a Calgary Stampede food sampling event in Calgary, Thursday, May 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Jason Sheardown holds a slice of “The Cheesy Saddle Slice,” a slice of cheese pizza dipped in corn dog batters dusted with seasoning and deep-fried, at a Calgary Stampede food sampling event in Calgary, Thursday, May 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A ramen doughnut, one of the new midway food items at the 2026 Calgary Stampede, is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Handout – Calgary Stampede (Mandatory Credit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
“What the Duck,” bao buns with duck breast and a crispy fried century egg are seen at a Calgary Stampede food sampling event in Calgary, Thursday, May 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Corey Perrier holds two slices of “The Cheesy Saddle Slice,” a slice of cheese pizza dipped in corn dog batters dusted with seasoning and deep-fried, at a Calgary Stampede food sampling event in Calgary, Thursday, May 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Calgary Stampede Princess Sarah O’Brien holds a “What the Duck,” bao bun with duck breast and a crispy fried century egg, at a Calgary Stampede food sampling event in Calgary, Thursday, May 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Jayden Park displays Korean BBQ poutine at a Calgary Stampede food sampling event in Calgary, Thursday, May 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Calgary Stampede Princess Sarah O’Brien samples a “What the Duck,” bao bun with duck breast and a crispy fried century egg, at a Calgary Stampede food sampling event in Calgary, Thursday, May 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CALGARY \u2014 Calgary Stampede Princess Sarah O’Brien and First Nations Princess Raegan First Rider took a deep breath Thursday before taking a big bite of “What the Duck,” a creation unveiled for the Stampede’s midway this summer. The concoction of a duck breast, paired with crispy fried century egg on a bao bun was one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":522,"featured_media":5813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"guid":"33223c19-806c-42f1-b14a-f91f1ce32fa6","source":"The Canadian Press","byline":"Bill Graveland","published":"2026-05-14 09:22:59","updated":"2026-05-14 15:03:45","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1447,1297],"tags":[],"region":[1278,1298,1280],"class_list":["post-5801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-interest","category-sports","region-alberta","region-calgary","region-canada"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5801\/spam-fries-ramen-doughnuts-calgary-stampede-unveils-artery-clogging-menu\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Spam fries, ramen doughnuts: Calgary Stampede unveils artery-clogging menu","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5801\/spam-fries-ramen-doughnuts-calgary-stampede-unveils-artery-clogging-menu\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5801\/spam-fries-ramen-doughnuts-calgary-stampede-unveils-artery-clogging-menu\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-055a296d3162a508306d5c59e6b8f238e03f2f4aad5e69c0865091232ae49145.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-055a296d3162a508306d5c59e6b8f238e03f2f4aad5e69c0865091232ae49145.jpg"},"articleSection":"Human Interest","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Canadian Press"}],"creator":["The Canadian Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-05-14T16:22:59Z","datePublished":"2026-05-14T16:22:59Z","dateModified":"2026-05-14T22:16:42Z"},"rendered":"