Fritters  are sweet or savory bite-sized pieces or shredded fruit, vegetable, meat or cheese, coated in a seasoned flour batter and then deep-fried in fat or sautéed, intended to be eaten with fingers. They can be served as a meal or accompanying one, as well as for dessert or to be eaten as a snack. Other popular fried recipes are doughnuts or the funnel cake, a deep-fried fritter of sorts which is a product of the Pennsylvania Dutch, who called it drechter kuche.

Fritters and similar foods have been popular all over the world for centuries. They are sometimes known by other names in different cultures and are often made with local ingredients and techniques: think of Apple Fritters in England, Frittelle di Ricotta in Italy; Onion Rings in the United States, Pakoras in India, and Tempura in Japan. 

Fritters are a Southern United States tradition. Calas, a New Orleans tradition, is a breakfast fritter mixed with cooked rice, flour, sugar, and spices, and then deep-fried. According to The Dictionary of American Food & Drink, the word Calas was first printed in 1880, and comes from one or more African languages such as Nupe kárá, "fried cake." African American street vendors sold the fresh hot calas in the city's French Quarter, with cries of "Calas, belles, calas tout chauds!"

The early French colonists are credited for bringing the Beignet tradition to New Orleans. A beignet is a batter fried to a beautiful golden and piled with snowy (confectioner's) sugar. The batter used is the basis for fruited fritters.

Chinese fritters are made in a wok and can have black sesame seeds sprinkled on top before serving, "which are thought to help prevent hair from graying". RIGHT after Chinese New Year, there is always the nien koh or sweet glutinous rice pudding that is leftover. Well, cut it into thick slices and have it sandwiched in between yam and sweet potato. Hey presto! A piece of fried nien koh is created.

The Fruit or Vegetables: When you make fritters, whether with fruit or vegetables, you can choose from a variety of shapes and two different methods. The fruit or vegetable can simply be cut into sticks or slices or fan shapes and dipped into the batter and fried, or it can be chopped coarsely or cut into a julienne and mixed into the batter and fried like a pancake. 

The Oil: One of the tricks to great fritters is to use clean oil and to make sure that the oil is hot enough before beginning. Cottonseed, sunflower, and grapeseed oil are particularly good oils for frying because they withstand high temperatures without breaking down. (An oil that's broken down becomes foamy and develops an acrid and bitter smell.) Use enough oil, between 2 and 3 inches, so that the fritters float freely.

The oil is ready for frying when batter drops quickly crisp and crackle in it. You should coat the cut vegetables in the batter, and then slip them gently into the oil so you don't splatter and burn yourself.  Don't do too many at a time; make sure the vegetables have enough swimming space in between and the sides of the pan.  

You find, as you get accustomed to frying in batter, that some batters brown faster than others and have to cook at a lower temperature. Egg batter should be cooked at a slightly lower temperature because the beaten egg white and milk brown very fast.

The Batter: The most important rule to be observed in making fritters, whether of fruit or plain, is to have the batter the proper consistency. You can use a beer batter that can be put together extremely fast and makes a fritter that's fairly crisp on the outside and soft and yeasty on the inside. Another is an egg batter, which makes fritters that are spongy and soufflé like in texture—soft and creamy outside and in. Each of these batters has its own distinct texture and bite; the one you decide to use is a question of personal taste.

When you make any batter (this includes batters for crepes and pancakes and the like), don't add all the liquid to the flour at once. You want to start with a thick batter; the remaining liquid can be added once the batter is smooth like silk. The batter can't be runny, but at the same time, it can't be so thick that all your fritters are half dough!  Dip only the food items that are going to be fried immediately.

Funnel Cake: Authentic Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake Recipe

The name funnel comes from the technique used to make the cakes -- the batter is poured through a funnel into the hot oil in an iron skillet.

Funnel cake batter, which is similar in consistency to pancake batter, is poured into the oil in a circular pattern and then fried until golden brown. The trick to nice cakes is a batter that is thick enough to pour nicely, but not so thick that it glops out of the funnel. Do not put more that one cake in each pan, the usual funnel cake is the size of the plate it is served on. When the lacy cake, about 8 - 10 inches around, cools just slightly, it is adorned with a variety of toppings, the most popular being powdered sugar or fruit toppings such as apple or strawberry.

How is a funnel cake different from an elephant ear, another deep-fried fair staple? The elephant ear is fried, flattened dough inspired by the fry bread of the American Indians of the West and named for their big ear shape. Navajo fry bread is served sweet, with powdered sugar or honey, or savory.

Since funnel cakes and elephant ears are so popular at fairs and flea markets, why don't we see them for sale at mall food courts? Because both must be eaten soon after they are made. They don't hold up well sitting under warming lights. Pretzels made the transition from pushcart to mall better. At most fairs, they are made to order.

Churros: are like a pate de choux, but instead of butter, you use lard. Then you pipe it into hot fat, and deep fry it and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. A common problem is that they turn out lumpy. Either you didn't blend your flour in enough, or you didn't mix it enough once you added the eggs. But it should be a smooth paste before you put it in your pastry bag and pipe it into the oil.