Wrapped in bacon, covered in cheese, drizzled with ketchup or topped with chilli - whatever the topping, hot dogs are now found all over the world. While most people may not know what's in it, it's certainly a coveted part of the national cuisine of the United States. But hot dog 'history' buffs will know that the snack is not native to the United States at all, as the roots of this staple baseball dish go back centuries before Columbus set sail for the New World.
So who invented the hot dog?
Let's start with the humble sausage. Its origin dates back to BC. 700 AD, when it appeared in Homer's Odyssey, but some historians believe that the first sausage was not invented until the first century AD. It is thought that the first sausage was created in the 1st century AD. Legend has it that Gaius, Emperor Nero's cook, stuck a knife into a roast pig that had not been thoroughly cleaned and the bloated, empty innards fell out. He cried out at his discovery and tried to stuff the resulting entrails with ground meat and spices. Over the next few centuries, sausage travelled across Europe and made its way to Germany, which has already recognised Vienna sausage as its own. Today, both Frankfurt and Vienna claim to have created this contemporary German staple. But how did the hot dog get from Germany to the US?
Many German immigrants came to the New World in the 1800s, bringing with them their culinary traditions. It is believed that the first hot dogs, known as 'dachshund sausages', were sold by a German immigrant from a food cart in New York in the 1860s - perhaps explaining how they got their dog's name.
Around 1870, a German immigrant, Charles Feltman, opened the first hot dog stand in Coney Island. That year, he sold more than 3,600 frankfurters in special buns. And in 1880, a St Louis sausage vendor who gave his customers white gloves to help them keep the hot dogs hot ran out of gloves and started selling them in white buns instead.
In 1916, Nathan Handwerker - a Polish immigrant and Feltman employee - opened his own hot dog stand, selling his products for half the price of his competitor, and Feltman was eventually forced to close up shop. By the 1920s, Nathan's hot dogs were known nationwide.
As the hot dog moved from east to west, it became widespread in American culture, appearing at backyard barbecues and Fourth of July celebrations, and in 1939 it was on the White House menu. In 1939, King George VI of England and Queen Elizabeth, on her first royal visit to the US, hosted a picnic with Franklin D. Roosevelt and the First Lady. At the event, Eleanor decided to serve hot dogs. Having never tried one before, the Queen asked, "How do you eat this?".
And the development and spread has become more dynamic as different flavours, buns, sausages, salads, hot dog carts have become a staple of street food.
Our company produces delicious and durable hot dog buns, which can be found in the bakery section of most grocery stores. For breakfast, dinner, entertaining, anytime you need a delicious hot dog for everyone! The Pantastico! range is great here too:
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