A hot dog is a type of fully-cooked, cured and sometimes smoked sausage of even texture and flavour that is softer and more moist than most other sausages. It is the sausage most readily eaten as finger food, especially in the United States. 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 flavour of hot dog sausages vary widely by region and by personal preference, as do the toppings on the sandwich. The flavour of the sausage itself can resemble a range of similar meat products from bologna on the bland side to cooked salami in 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 Kentucky's 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 called Wienerli, but in Austria the terms Frankfurter or Frankfurter Würstchen are used.************************************* The American story of the introduction of the hot dog, like the hamburger and ice cream cone, is often attributed to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. [1] However, similar sausages were made and consumed in Europe, particularly in Germany, as early as 1864. Even in the united States 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 17th century by a German butcher named Johann Georghehner.[2] 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 rumoured 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 humour magazine The Wrinkle contained this on the cover page: "Two Greeks a 'hot dog' freshman sought. The Clothes they found, their favours 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. 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.**************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.***************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.*********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 National Sausage and Hot Dog Council conducted a poll in 2005, which 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." ********************* Some Americans believe that a properly made hot dog should never be topped with ketchup. Often these people believe the flavour of ketchup overpowers and destroys the taste of the hot dog instead of complementing it. 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). ********************* The Coney Island hot dog which is topped with a special "Coney sauce" is also a favourite 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.************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 flavour 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.*************************** * 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 centre of a media event in celebration of the Association's 50th anniversary on August 4, 2006 at the Akasaka Prince Hotel, Tokyo, Japan.************ * Mickey Mouse's first spoken words were "Hot Dogs!". * Popular video game character Sonic the Hedgehog's favourite food in the 1990s was chili dogs. *************************