Mystery at the NYS Fair: Where did all the spiedies go?

There was a time when “State Fair” and “Spiedie” seem to go hand-in-hand.

The sandwich made with meat marinated in a special sauce was once served at stands across the New York State Fair. One company, Salimida, had a fair stand serving nothing but spiedies for years and even launched a bottled version of “State Fair Spiedie Sauce” that can still be found on store shelves (and at the fair) today.

“Yes, there used to be spiedies all over the fair,” said former state fair Troy Waffner, who continues his association with the fair by helping run The West End, a food stand operated by his wife Susan and her family. “Now, it’s hard to find.”

Syracuse.com spent several days combing the fairgrounds since Opening Day on Aug. 23 and has found just one stand that still serves a spiedie. Tommy C’s, in the Colonnade near Chevy Court, offers a Chicken Spiedie for $10.

Tommy C’s sign, which spells it “speidie,” also contains the word “Wow!” The sandwich, served on a hoagie bun, uses shredded chicken rather than the more traditional chunks, but has the tang and spice of the original Salamida sauce.

“It is a big seller, very popular,” said Ian Duquette, a manager of the stand, who said he was not aware that Tommy C’s had the only spiedie at the fair. “Maybe not the most popular, but it’s up there.”

Spiedies (pronounced SPEE-dees) is a delicacy that originated in the Triple Cities area (Binghamton, Johnson City and Endicott). They’re essentially chunks of meat – traditionally lamb, but quite often pork and chicken – cut roughly into one-inch cubes and marinated in a special sauce for 24 hours or more. The marinated meat is then roasted on skewers over a grill and then served on a slice of bread or on a sub roll.

The spiedie first came to the state fair in 1971, when 19-year-old Rob Salamida of Endwell near Binghamton opened a stand selling his family’s version. The bottled sauce launched in 1975. The Salamida stand lasted at the…