An Elephant Ear is a must-have at any Midwest fair.  In the South, they prefer a Funnel Cake.

Yes, they are both fried dough covered in sugar but they are two completely different items.  An Elephant Ear is a huge piece of dough stretched out to be as big as an elephant’s ear then it’s deep fried and topped with cinnamon sugar.

A Funnel Cake is fried dough as well but you pour the dough into the deep fryer in a circle like pattern with the circles overlapping each other then it’s topped with powdered sugar.

Both have were created in the 19th century and still a fan favorite to this day.

I am from Cleveland, Oh where Elephant Ears were something you always had to get at the fair but when I moved to the south no one had a clue what it was.  They are all about the Funnel Cakes down here.

If I had to choose between the two I would definitely take the Elephant Ear.