Super-sized hot dogs and thick cut bacon: Major League Baseball snacks come to Sydney

Sixty-centimetre hot dogs, thick-cut bacon dipped in maple syrup on sticks and super-sized nachos served in plastic baseball caps are just some of the artery-hardening items punters will be gorging on at this month's Major League Baseball Opening Series event.

The naughty nosh, which also includes Cracker Jacks (caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts), the Chipper (a nachos-like dish made with meat and waffle fries) and cheesecake was unveiled at the SCG on Friday by George Fouskarinis, executive chef at Delaware North, the company that caters for the SCG.

''We're an American company, so we took into consideration the items we use for our menus in the States and worked closely with the chefs there to come up with hero dishes that would give the Australian market and international guests a really authentic American baseball experience,'' Mr Fouskarinis said.

As the food rolled out, nary a lettuce leaf in sight, Mr Fouskarinis joked: ''When you come to a baseball game, you're not looking for sushi, are you?''

The super-sized menu will presumably also help the more than 10,000 Americans coming to Australia for the series feel more at home, and will be served by a team of vendors specially trained by a ''vending guru'' from the US. Vendors will snake through the aisles with their trays, yelling and flinging peanuts at game-goers, at all four games.

Meanwhile, Delaware North has been busy developing menus of a very different kind - high protein, high starch and low fat - for the players themselves.

The menus, Mr Fouskarinis said, catered to the specific needs of the players, which included copious amounts of coconut water and boxes of chewing gum, a smoothie bar and a salad bar. Burgers, fries and buffalo wings will still feature, however.

The series opener will involve the Arizona Diamondbacks playing the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Sydney Cricket Ground over the weekend of March 22 and 23, and is the first Major League Baseball game to be played in Australia.

Super-size snacks for the stadium

The Streaker: Grilled thick-cut bacon (200grams) dipped in maple syrup and cayenne pepper, served on a skewer. About 1800 calories.

The Chipper: 500grams of slow-cooked meat (chilli beef, pulled pork or smoked brisket) on chips served in a plastic baseball helmet with toppings. About 1500 calories.

The All American SuperDog: 60-centimetre smoked frankfurter topped with American beef chilli, cheese sauce, tomatoes, onions and cheddar cheese. About 1160 calories.