Who Actually Invented Deep-Fried Butter?

We can thank Elvis for deep-fried butter. No, the King didn't actually plop a knob of butter in a boiling pot of oil, but his favorite ultra-sweet sandwich was the inspiration for Abel Gonzales, who invented the snack at the Texas State Fair in 2009. Four years prior, Gonzales had left the family business of Tex-Mex restaurants and was earning extra cash with a buddy as a fry cook at the Texas State Fair. He entered an Elvis-themed food contest with a deep-fried peanut butter and jelly, banana, and bacon sandwich and won the Big Tex Choice Award. Two more wins followed for Fried Coke and Fried Cookie Dough, but his fourth entry "Fire and Ice" — deep-fried pineapple rings with instant frozen whipped cream — bombed.

In 2009, Gonzales threw caution to the wind to create, as he explained to Vice, "fried on top of fried on top of fried" by slam-dunking dough-battered frozen butter balls into the deep fryer, and he won the creative Big Tex Choice Award, which led to his earning the nickname "Fried Jesus." Described as a hot roll with squirting butter, Gonzales' creation garnered lots of media attention from Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Ray, and Kelly Clarkson. Winfrey was a little leery, but when she popped one into her mouth, she and gal-pal Gayle King both gave it hearty thumbs up. Gonzales is a much in-demand chef for cooking non-fried foods, but he submits an entry every year, like chicken-fried lobster and deep-fried turkey ribs.

And then there's deep-fried butter on a stick, which appeared at the Iowa State Fair in 2011. Fair officials approached long-time concessionaire Larry Fyfe about concocting a treat that would do homage to the fair's traditional butter-cow sculpture. He was aware of Abel Gonzales' creation, but since food on a stick is a big thing at the Iowa State Fair, he came up with the idea of skewering a half-stick of butter, dipping it in cinnamon-spiked funnel-cake batter, and when fried, drizzling it with honey. Fyfe admitted that it sounded gross, but it was an oozing hit among fair-goers with a taste reminiscent of French toast or a warm homemade cinnamon roll. Two years after its debut, Fyfe got sick of making his creation and moved on to other heart-stopping treats, like a maple bacon brownie on a stick.

Former Food Network star Paula Deen — long known for her over-fondness for lard and sugar in sweet and savory recipes (glazed doughnut burger, anyone?) — put out a recipe for fried butter balls (held together with cream cheese) that raised eyebrows. Never to mince words, Anthony Bourdain joined the media bandwagon in condemning her high-fat recipes. But Deen, Gonzales, and Fyfe weren't the first to forego the bread for butter; it's actually a tradition that dates back to the early 17th century.