Hot dog

A hot dog is a type of cooked, cured and often smoked sausage of even texture and flavor that is softer and more moist than most sausages. It is the sausage most readily eaten as finger food, especially in the United States. As finger food, it is usually placed hot in a soft sliced bun of the same shape as the sausage, and optionally includes condiments and toppings. The resulting sandwich is also called a hot dog.

The flavor of hot dogs varies widely by region and by personal preference as do the toppings. The flavor of the sausage itself somewhat resembles bologna on the bland side, to cooked salami for the spicier varieties.

Hot dogs are traditionally made from beef, pork, or a combination of those meats. Unlike many other sausages (which may be sold cooked or uncooked), hot dogs are always cooked before being offered commercially. Unless they have spoiled, hot dogs may be safely eaten without further cooking though they are usually warmed up before serving. Vegetarian hot dogs and sausages which are made completely from meat analogue are also widely available in most areas.

Hot dogs are also called frankfurters, or franks for short (named after the city of Frankfurt, Germany, the original frankfurters are made of pork only), or wieners or weenies (named after the city of Vienna, Austria, whose German name is "Wien", the original wieners are made of a mixture of pork and beef). In Australia the term frankfurt is used rather than frankfurter. A tiny version called a cocktail frank or cocktail weenie is sometimes served at parties and eaten on the end of a toothpick. In the German speaking countries, except Austria, hot dog sausages are generally called Wiener or Wiener Würstchen. (Würstchen means "little sausages") In Swiss German it is also called Wienerli, but in Austria the terms Frankfurter or Frankfurter Würstchen are used.

History

The American story of the invention of the hot dog, like the hamburger and ice cream cone, is often attributed to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.^{[citation needed]} However, similar sausages were made and consumed in Europe, particularly in Germany, as early as 1864. The hot dog's association with baseball also predates the 1904 Exposition. St. Louis Browns owner Chris von der Ahe sold them at his ballpark in the 1880s. While many persons are credited with the "invention" of the hot dog, according to the National Hot Dog Council the hot dog was invented in the 17^th century by a German butcher named Johann Georghehner.^[1]

Hot dogs were frequently known as frankfurters or franks, but the name "hot dog" became popular by the 1890s. In the 1830s, it was widely rumored that the dogs that roamed urban streets were regularly rounded up (by "dog wagons") and made into sausages; by the 1840s, the term "dog sandwich" was used. The 1860s popular song "Der Deitcher's Dog" (written by Septimus Winner and known by the lyrics "Where oh where has my little dog gone?") contained:

Und sausage is goot: Baloney, of course,

Oh! where, oh! where can he be?

Dey makes ‘em mit dog, und dey makes ‘em mit horse:

I guess dey makes ‘em mit he.

"Hot dog" first came into use in an old joke involving a dog's "pants" (the verb "pant" substituted for the noun). The following was widely reprinted in newspapers, from at least 1870: "What’s the difference between a chilly man and a hot dog? One wears a great coat, and the other pants. The October 18, 1894 University of Michigan humor magazine The Wrinkle contained this on the cover page: "Two Greeks a 'hot dog' freshman sought. The Clothes they found, their favors bought. "Hot dog" meant a stylish dresser, someone who was sharply attired. A popular phrase was "puttin' on the dog."

The night lunch wagons (popular in cities and on college campuses) that served hot sausages were called "dog wagons" by the 1890s. At Yale University, a "dog wagon" called "The Kennel Club" opened in 1894. The first known use of the phrase "hot dog" (sausage) appears in print on October 19, 1895 in the Yale Record of New Haven, Connecticut which reads: "They contentedly munched hot dogs during the whole service;" two weeks prior, the Yale Record recorded: "Tis dogs' delight to bark and bite, Thus does the adage run. But I delight to bite the dog when placed inside a bun." Hot dog became an extension of the older use of dog to mean a sausage.

Hot dog lore suggests that newspaper cartoonist Tad A. Dorgan coined (or at least popularized) the term "hot dog" when he used it in the caption of a 1906 cartoon illustrating sausage vendors at the Polo Grounds baseball stadium because he couldn't spell "frankfurter". In some versions he could not spell dachshund. However, "hot dog" appears in print well before this date. The actual "Tad" cartoons featuring hot dogs (New York Evening Journal, December 12 and December 13, 1906) are from a bicycle race at Madison Square Garden, not a baseball game at the Polo Grounds.[1]

Claims of "invention" of the hot dog are difficult to assess, because different stories assert the creation of the sausage itself, the placing of the sausage (or another kind of sausage) on bread or a bun as finger food, the mass popularization of the existing dish, or the application of the name "hot dog" to a sausage and bun combination.

In 2001, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council stated that others assert the hot dog was created in the late 1600s by Johann Georghehner, a butcher living in the German city of Coburg.

In 1867, Coney Island, New York vendor Charles Feltman began selling Vienna sausages in buns, which he called "Coney Island Red-Hots." By 1871, his business grew to the point that he traded up his food cart for a leased plot of land where he served 3684 customers; by 1874 built a restaurant at West 10th Street and Surf Avenue, for $7500.

Others have also been "acknowledged" for supposedly inventing the hot dog, including Antoine Feuchtwanger, a German sausage-maker who served hot dogs at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, with his brother baking the buns.

General description

A hot dog is typically distinguishable from other sausages by its smaller size and relative lack of spicing. A regular hot dog of the kind popular at sporting events and readily available in supermarkets is roughly 6 inches in length (15 cm), though thickness and length can vary. The mild seasoning and smaller size allows children to eat hot dogs more easily than other sausages. There are many nationally distributed brands that tend to market similar products to all geographical areas, but many local brands still survive, mostly due to wide variations in regional hot dog preferences. Twelve-inch (30-cm) or "footlong" hot dogs are popular in some regions, for example.

Ingredients

There is no fixed specification for hot dog meat, with pork and beef being the most popular. Less expensive hot dogs typically contain chicken, due to the low cost and availability of mechanically separated chicken, and some pork. Hot dogs are generally regarded as unhealthy insofar as most have high sodium, fat and nitrate content. Contents can also be questionable, with cheaper types of hot dogs having been known to contain snouts, ears, and blended organs. In recent years, due to changing dietary preferences in the U.S., manufacturers have turned to turkey, chicken, or vegetarian meat substitutes as well as lowering the salt content.

In general, if a manufacturer produces two different hot-dog-type sausages, "wieners" tend to contain pork, and to be the blander of the two, while "franks" tend to be all-beef, and more strongly seasoned. This is particularly true of Oscar Mayer.

File:Hot dog mural.jpg

This wall painting shows some of the more common hot dog condiments: mustard, ketchup and relish.

Condiments

A Detroit Coney Island hot dog with chili, onion and mustard.

Throughout the world, there are numerous variations in hot dog condiments from region to region. The most common are mustard, ketchup, chili, sauerkraut, cole slaw, pickle relish and chopped onion. Others include mayonnaise, chopped lettuce, tomato (chopped, sliced, or in wedges), pickle spear, celery salt, cheese, canned corn, deep-fried potato sticks, and hot peppers, and usually served in a bun.

In the United States, the Hot Dog Council ran a poll in 2005, which, according to their press release found mustard the most popular condiment (32 percent). "Twenty-three percent of Americans said they preferred ketchup. [...] Chili came in third at 17 percent, followed by relish (9 percent) and onions (7 percent). Southerners showed the strongest preference for Chili, while Midwesterners showed the greatest affinity for ketchup. Nationwide, however, mustard prevailed." [2]

Some Americans believe that a properly made hot dog should never be topped with ketchup. Often these people believe the flavor of ketchup overpowers and destroys the taste of the hot dog instead of complementing it. [3] In Chicago, some restaurants and hot-dog stands that consider themselves to be "true" Chicago hot dog grills do not, as a rule, carry ketchup in stock, even if they serve other food items that use this condiment, such as french fries. The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, in its tongue-in-cheek recommendations for proper Hot Dog Etiquette capitulate only slightly to the public's general regard for ketchup, saying "Don't use ketchup on your hot dog after the age of 18". (This alludes to the fact that many children like ketchup on their hot-dogs due to the sweet taste, but adults are expected to have a more sophisticated palate).

In one case, a popular hot dog vendor for the Detroit Tigers baseball club was fired for refusing to provide a customer with ketchup for his hot dog. However, due to his unique "Opera" style, many fans asked for his return and he was eventually reinstated.^{[citation needed]}

The Coney Island hot dog which is topped with a special "coney sauce" is also a favorite in the US Midwest. Several restaurants in Michigan claim to have invented the Coney dog, which is virtually unknown in its namesake Coney Island, New York.

Commercial preparation

Hot dogs are typically prepared commercially by mixing all of the ingredients (meats, spices, binders and fillers, if any) in large vats where rapidly moving blades grind and mix the ingredients in the same operation, assuring a homogeneous product. This mixture is then forced through tubes into casings for cooking. Most hot dogs sold in the US are called "skinless" as opposed to more expensive "natural casing" hot dogs.

Natural casing hot dogs

As with virtually all sausages, hot dogs must be in a casing in order to be cooked. Traditionally this casing is made from the thoroughly cleaned small intestines of sheep, and are known as "natural casing" hot dogs or frankfurters. These kinds of hot dogs are preferred by some for their firmer texture and the "snap" that releases juices and flavor when the product is bitten into.

Skinless hot dogs

"Skinless" hot dogs also must use a casing in the cooking process when the product is manufactured, but here the casing is usually a long tube of thin cooking plastic that is completely removed after cooking and before packaging. Skinless hot dogs vary in the texture of the product surface but have a softer "bite" than natural casing hot dogs. Skinless hot dogs are more uniform in shape and size than natural casing hot dogs and less expensive to produce.

Final preparation

For a full list of regional differences in hot dog preparation and condiments, see Hot dog variations.

Hot dogs may be grilled, steamed, boiled, barbequed, pan fried, deep fried, broiled, microwaved, or eaten cold (most of the sausages themselves are cooked before packaging).

Availability (in the US)

A roadside hot dog stand located near Huntington, West Virginia.

In the U.S., along with ballparks, regional restaurants offer hot dogs. Few national chains in the U.S. offer hot dogs, despite the fact that its ease of preparation makes it ideal for fast food service.

A few chains in the U.S. that offer hot dogs include Sonic Drive-In and Dog n Suds, who call it a coney; Hardee's (but not their counterpart Carl's Jr. on the west coast of the United States, which is ironic due to founder Carl Karcher having started the Carl's Jr. empire with a hot dog stand); Dairy Queen; Wienerschnitzel (originally Der Wienerschnitzel), whose menu focuses on hot dogs; The Frankfurter in Seattle, Washington; Woody's Chicago Style; Nathan's Famous, which sponsors the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest; A&W and Spike's Junkyard Dogs located in Rhode Island and Boston. Krystal restaurants in the southeast offer a small hot dog called a Krystal Pup, and Fatburger, located mostly on the west coast of the U.S., offers hot dogs and chili dogs.

Yocco's Hot Dogs, founded in 1922, maintains six restaurants in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania and is known for its long-standing specialty on hot dogs and various toppings. Given Yocco's strong global popularity, the restaurant also has a mail-order business, providing frozen hot dog bags to customers around the U.S. and the world. A map of the world in each of their four restaurants marks the thousands of locations in the U.S. and internationally that have ordered Yocco's hot dogs.

Casual dining restaurants often have a hot dog on their children's menu, but not on the regular menu. Hot dog stands and trucks sell hot dogs and accompaniments, as well as similar products at street and highway locations.

Hot dogs around the globe

Hot dogs are the most widely consumed form of sausage in the USA. Scandinavia, especially Denmark, is famous for its hot dogs, as are Chicago, Detroit, and American baseball parks, especially Dodger Stadium.

A hot dog on a stick fried in corn batter is commonly called a corn dog ('battered sav' or 'dagwood dog' or 'pluto pup' in Australia or 'pogo' in Canada). A corn dog might be eaten plain or with mustard or ketchup. In South Korea, vendors coat them with sugar. Corn dogs are popular in the U.S. and are widely associated with state fairs and other public gatherings. A hot dog which is split down the center, stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep-fried is known as a francheesie.

Other variations are found. A hot dog served with the addition of cheese is known as a "cheese hotdog" or simply a "cheese dog". "Cheese dog" may also refer to a hot dog that contains processed cheese within the hot dog itself. A hot dog served with the addition of chili is typically known as a "chili dog"[4] or "coney dog" in some areas (an exception being New York City's Coney Island).

A hot dog served with both of these would be a "chili cheese dog" or "cheese coney". Chili dogs and cheese dogs are popular foods at carnivals and amusement parks.

In Quebec, Canada a hot-dog with spaghetti sauce is known as a "michigan". The reason it is called as such is not specifically known.

Kosher hot dogs

A kosher hot dog is one made in accordance with Jewish dietary laws, which include a ban on pork. Most fillers, such as dairy powders used to extend or flavor the meat, also cannot be used. As with some other commercially-prepared Kosher foods, these ingredient restrictions and greater confidence in oversight of production facilities attract a significant non-Jewish market that perceives Kosher hot dogs to be healthier than other hot dogs.

Kosher hot dogs are popular at some American baseball stadiums. Kosher hot dogs are similar to the kinds, kosher and non-kosher, popular in New York City, and are preferred by some consumers for their distinctive taste, texture and spicing. These brands are usually sold at a premium and are all-beef.

South America

In Argentina they are known as panchos and superpanchos.

In Brazil hot dog is called cachorro-quente, literally hot-dog in Portuguese.

In parts of Latin America they are known as perros calientes—a Spanish calque—while in Spain they are perritos calientes, literally "hot small dogs." Other parts of Latin America use hot dog as a loan phrase.

In Colombia, the traditional street perro caliente (hot dog) can be served with at least: sausage, potato chip crumbs, sliced onion, Colombian country cheese, honey, ketchup or mustard (and sometimes but not always a little cooked quail egg on top). Most rarely in Bogotá, there are a fast food chain where they have gourmet hot dogs with more sophisticated ingredients.

In Uruguay, frankfurters are sausages (served with a special mustard) and hot dogs are called panchos. They are served with bread and ketchup or mustard.

In Chile, they are called completos, literally meaning complete, and are commonly sold by street vendors and small restaurants. The completo consists of a soft "skinless" meat on a bun with diced tomatoes, sauerkraut, ketchup, sweet mustard, and topped with a thick bead of mayonnaise. The vendors often provide ají, a spicy red pepper sauce to accompany the completo. Another common variation of the hot dog in Chile is the italiano; which is the same preparation as the completo except the sour kraut is replaced with palta, meaning guacamole. The completo and italiano are staple Chilean cuisine and frequently consumed largely due to their inexpensive price and filling nature.

In Venezuela, the most popular hot dogs are made from wiener sausages served in steamed buns, with huge quantities of condiments. Although wieners (from pork or chicken) are popular, other varieties of sausages are also used. Street vendors offering "Perros calientes" serve them with finely chopped cabbage, potato chip crumbs, chopped onion, grilled cheese (usually a white cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano), ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise or "salsa rosada" (a mix of mayonnaise and tomato sauce). When the hot dog contains all these ingredients, is called a "Perro con todo", or just a "Con Todo". In addition, many vendors have an assortment of accompanying sauces, including, but not limited to, a popular sauce called "Salsa alemana", Tartar sauce, Tabasco, spicy sauces, guasacaca, cheese sauce, garlic and onion sauces, and American BBQ sauce.

In Peru they are called "hot-dogs" (although the pronunciation has the last syllable stressed) or "pan con hot-dog" (bread and hot-dog). The suasage is almost always pork. It is not normally sold by street vendors and, surprisingly, they are more of an middle- and upper-class thing. Typical in kids' birthday parties. They are eaten with mustard, ketcuhp or mayonaisse. The only, ocassional, filling is matchstick fries.

Europe

In Austria, the term hot dog refers to a hollowed out piece of baguette bread with any of a multiple variety of sausages. Customers at hot dog stands have the option of eating sausage on a plate or having it served in "hot dog form."

In Denmark and Norway, hot dogs are referred to as "pølse" (pølse in Danish and Norwegian refers to the sausage in it) and are similar to American hot dogs. They come in many different varieties, for example "ostpølse" (cheese hot-dog) and "baconpølse" (bacon hot-dog). They are widely available at Narvesen kiosks (a large Norwegian newsagent).

In Germany, the term hot dog refers to American and Scandinavian style hot dog sandwiches, which both are very similar. Danish hot dogs are widespread in northern Germany but relatively rare in southern Germany. However, in some parts of southern Germany, near the border to Austria, the term refers to a hollowed out piece of baguette bread with a sausage, similar to the situation in Austria. In the former East German part of the country there is also the so called Ketwurst, the East German hot dog. It is made of a hollowed out bread roll, a bockwurst and ketchup. Today ketwurst ist still available in the eastern states of Germany but it is almost unknown in former West Germany. Even within Berlin ketwurst is only available in former East Berlin.

Trivia

A deep fried, bacon wrapped "Jersey Breakfast" dog from Verona, New Jersey.

File:60m Hot Dog Akasaka Aug4 06.jpg

The World's Longest Hot Dog at the Akasaka Prince Hotel in August 2006 was 60m long.

Takeru Kobayashi is the world's fastest hot dog eater. In 2002 he beat his previous record by one half of a hot dog, consuming 50.5 Nathan's famous hot dogs in 12 minutes. On July 4, 2006 he set a new record when he ate 53.75 in the same amount of time.

The World's Longest Hot Dog created was 60m, and rested within a 60.3m bun. The hot dog was prepared by Shizuoka Meat Producers for the All-Japan Bread Association who baked the bun, and coordinated the event, which included the official measurement for the World Record. The hot dog and bun were the center of a media event in celebration of the Association's 50th anniversary on August 4, 2006 at the Akasaka Prince Hotel, Tokyo, Japan.[5][6][7][8]

Mickey Mouse's first spoken words were "Hot Dogs!".[9]

Popular video game character Sonic the Hedgehog's favorite food is chili dogs.

The city of Huntington, West Virginia hosts the annual West Virginia Hot Dog Festival.[10]

A person in a "hot dog" suit can be seen racing around the field following the sixth inning of all Milwaukee Brewers home games. It competes against the other [11] Klement's Racing Sausages, which also include an Italian sausage, bratwurst, and Polish sausage, and for one race in July 2006, a chorizo.

Each year at Suffolk Downs in Boston, Massachusetts, thousands of people come to the Hot Dog Safari to contribute money to help people with cystic fibrosis.

A meat market owner in DuBois, Pennsylvania created a peanut butter hot dog recipe at the suggestion of the mother of a seven-year-old customer. The popularity of this invention spread around via the internet, and now the town of DuBois is discussing a "peanut butter hot dog" festival.[12]

References

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External links

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