Garlic Fest 2013 Coverage: The Five Weirdest Ways to Eat Garlic

Over-the-top fair and festival food is one of the great American art forms. But instead of dealing in deep-fried butter and chocolate-covered scorpions, the Delray Beach Garlic Fest indulges in all manner of creative uses of the fragrant bulb. This past weekend, the 14th annual Garlic Fest in downtown Delray Beach drew thousands who came for the live music, Garlic Chef showdown, and tons of stinky food. (Check out a slideshow of the Garlic Fest for more images.)

After the jump, see five of the strangest ways to get garlic breath, plus, learn who took top honors in the festival's Garlic Chef Showdown.

See Also:

- Delray Beach Garlic Fest Tickets Available: Online Sales End February 3

- Dada in Delray Beach: Q&A with Executive Chef Bruce Feingold Who Shares Ghost Stories and Cooking Tips

- Totally Bananas: Chocolate-Covered Bananas for the Masses

5. & 4. Garlic chicken, beef, and pork dishes abound in Garlic Lane, but garlic conch and garlic gator were the closest that Garlic Fest got to "exotic" meats.

3. A garlic-infused funnel cake was a savory twist on a sugary fair classic.

2. Hollywood-based Totally Bananas brought classic chocolate-dipped frozen bananas to the fest, but the Havana Banana, crusted with garlic plantain chips, was the most creative selection in the bunch. Using "cooking banana" (plantain) as a topping on a "dessert banana" and adding garlic to the mix drew a lot of attention from festival-goers, as the item proved popular throughout the weekend.

1. Garlic ice cream is practically the poster child for Garlic Fest. A novelty item that demonstrates just how dedicated the fest is to the pungent ingredient. But how does it actually taste? Honestly, a lot like vanilla soft-serve ice cream. It's not gross, but it's not, like, great. Try it next year, just so you can say you did.

Sunday afternoon saw the final showdown in Garlic Chef Stadium, where Chuck Gittleman (of Karma Sushi Steakbar) and Bruce Feingold (of Dada) threw down in front of a lively crowd.

Feingold, who had a sizable and very enthusiastic cheering section, beat out Gittleman -- the 2011 and 2012 champ -- for the title of Garlic Chef Champion. His prizes included $1,000, a plaque, and bragging rights. Feingold credited his young son for being his "good luck charm" and confirmed he'll use $100 of his prize winnings to buy the kid a fancy Lego set as a way of saying thanks. Gittleman, who took second place, nabbed $500 for his efforts.