American fast-food chain offers up an 850-calorie meat-and-cheese extravaganza

The latest twist on the cheeseburger transforms it into a foot-long, layered meat-and-cheese affair, but others have been experimenting with the humble dish for a while.

The burger sandwich contains 850 calories.

An American fast-food chain recently revealed its latest burger offering: no ordinary cheeseburger, but a foot-long, layered meat-and-cheese affair which, if polished off in its entirety, will notch up some 850 calories.

It's more akin to a sub sandwich than a traditional burger bun, but then, over the years, history has proved that this fast-food staple can be eaten in any number of ways, some of which are more palatable than others.

In Venezuela, for example, one ice-cream parlour serves up a cheeseburger-flavoured frozen treat made from a mix of burger meat, cheese, fries and "secret ingredients". Interesting, but probably unlikely to replace Neapolitan as an all-time classic flavour.

If that isn't unappetising enough for you, how about the images conjured up by the mention of cheeseburger soup? In fact, it's not quite as bad as it sounds; a quick scout through a cookbook or two suggests it's more of a hearty beef broth finished with melted cheese. Burger King, meanwhile, has potentially solved the eternal dilemma of every fast-food fan by creating the Pizza Burger hybrid. For $13 (Dh48) New Yorkers can tuck into a 9-inch (24cm) sesame bun filled to bursting with mozzarella cheese, cured meat, pesto and marinara sauce.

But the prize for the most ingenious presentation must surely go to the brand Trekking Mahizeiten, whose cheeseburger in a can remains edible for up to 12 months. This specialist ready meal is intended to be eaten by explorers in remote destinations, but could well be enjoyed at home: simply drop the can into boiling water, cook for a couple of minutes, pull off the lid and tuck in. Mmm.