Much More Than Peanuts And Crackerjack

Going to a ballgame is more than just watching a favorite team play, and hoping they'll win.It's become the ultimate food experience with a variety of different snack's treats and even meals. Baseball fan foodies can buy all sorts of interesting and tasty creations.It's not just peanuts and crackerjack. It's chicken and waffles or sliced brisket.

New author,Bennet Jacobstein wrote a comprehensive guide to ballpark fare cross the country the country and Canada. His wife Deborah  L Jacobstein contributed the mouth watering pictures of different dishes and snacks.in The Joy Of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs To Haute Cuisine (Ballpark Food Publications)It starts off with the history of those two park staples, Crackerjack and peanuts and why they became so popular. Mr. Jacobstein incudes pictures of old menus from a variety of parks and it's interesting to see the transition from the basic to the gourmet fare of today.it started with English born Harry Stevens who was the first to start a concession stand in Cincinnati. Ohio. One of the first cooked foods was the hot dog.It was perfectly suited to fans who wanted a quick hand held snack while rooting for their favorite teams.It was easy to cook up - usually by boiling-  and served in a bun. There were  no knives or forks to fuss with  either.Years later hamburgers and steak sandwiches were added as were ice cream and beer.

The Eighties and Nineties changed all that. Ethnic foods cam e in, influenced by the  neighborhoods surrounding them. Miami 's Marlin's Park does have hot dogs but it also offers ceviche , lime cooked seafood and Cuban sandwich, a type of Panini that features pork and ham.Atlanta's Turmer Field gives fans that southern classic  - chicken waffles.They  also sell hot dogs smothered in Vidalia onions, grown almost exclusively in that state.Fenway Park has a variety of seafood from their Legal Seafood stand, the chain restaurant originating in the area.LA's Dodger Stadium may offer dogs and burgers but they also carry Mexican style corn on the cob, eliote.There are also sweets. After all you need to top off those cheese fries and pastrami sandwiches with a dessert.Most ballparks have a variety of ices and ice creams to choose from but foodie fans can also nosh on funnel cake in Philly and cannoli in New York. Mr. Jacobstein even lists the ballparks that sell vegan fare, from soy hot dogs and hamburgers to salads and veggie centered meals.

This is a must have book for baseball loving foodies. The Joy Of Ballpark Food:From Hot Dogs To Haute Cuisine give not only the history of those peanuts and Crackerjack but also gives a comprehensive guide to good eating in America's ballparks.