It is time to fire up the grill and get some hot dogs cooking, right? Nothing brings summer to life more than hot dogs on the grill and the sounds of cannonball contests in the pool nearby. Given their “All-American” rep, it may surprise you to know that they have a bit of a unique history.
In fact, hot dogs have made several appearances all over the world:
- Roman Times: Roman Emperor Nero’s cook links the first sausages by stuffing intestines with ground game meats, spices, and wheat.
- Germany: Germans take sausages as their own creating numerous types. The most similar to the hot dogs were known as the frankfurter from Frankfurt and the Wiener from Wien.
- United States: The first people to sell hot dogs in the US were German immigrants in the 1860’s.
Over the years, hot dogs rapidly grew in popularity in the United States. Unlike other food history stories, this one has a clear tribute.
The man responsible for popularizing the hot dog in the US was a Jewish immigrant from Poland named Nathan Handwerker.
In 1916, he started with one simple stand on Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY and built the most popular brand of hot dogs in the country. Nathan’s hot dogs became so famous that they were eventually served at a presidential barbecue to visiting royalty!
Today there are more hot dogs to choose from than ever. There are traditional hot dogs made from a mixture of beef and pork. Or choose from all chicken hot dogs, veggie dogs, turkey dogs, all beef hot dogs, and all pork. With classic versions and even gourmet versions, there is literally something for everyone.
Hot dog stands still exist, but now there are also hot dog restaurants entirely focused on providing a fun gourmet experience. Not only do they offer a variety of types of “dogs” but also a seemingly endless supply of toppings.
One thing is for sure, nothing is as gloriously simple in the summertime as a hot dog done up the way you want it.