Part of the experience of going to the ballpark is what you can get to eat. During the 2014 baseball season, Bennett Jacobstein and his wife traveled to each of the major league stadiums to investigate the variety of food offerings. In January 2015, he published The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine.

In the early days, when baseball was becoming the American national pastime, a fan who wanted a hot dog at the ballpark got just that - a hot dog. There was no choice; a hot dog was a hot dog. Times have changed. Now, teams around the country sell a variety of exotic food. Some stadiums have gone all out to showcase unique, gourmet-style food. Many parks emphasize regional food as well as having offerings from well-known local restaurants.

“The new food era has brought such a wonderful gustatory experience at the ballparks with chef-prepared masterpieces, vegetarian and kosher delights, as well as amped up riffs on the hot dog and sausage,” says Bennett.

The Joy of Ballpark Food begins with the history of the first hot dog at a ball game and concludes with a culinary tour of all 30 major league ballparks.