History of an American Classic: How Hot Dogs Came to Be

Hot dogs are as American as apple pie, and they’re so popular, more than 20 billion are served up across the nation each year.

You can order a hot dog in fast food restaurant franchises from coast to coast, and it’s a favorite at backyard cookouts, around campfires, and at every type of sporting event imaginable. Here’s a look at the fascinating history of the hot dog.

Topics of Discussion

• It Began with the Sausage
• I Say Frankfurter, You Say Wiener
• Hot Dogs Get All Wrapped Up
• How the Hot Dog Got Its Name
• Movers and Shakers Who’ve Helped Make Hot Dog Restaurants an American Classic

1. The hot dog is a descendant of the world’s first processed food, the sausage. It’s believed that sausages were common fare in Pompeii, and they’re also mentioned in Homer’s ninth century B.C. epic, the Odyssey. The invention of precooked link sausages made from natural casings filled with spiced, chopped meat is attributed to a Roman named Gaius, a cook for the notorious emperor Nero.
Over the centuries, the popularity of the sausage spread throughout Europe. Many different versions evolved based on regional and national tastes, which has resulted in the wide variety of sausage types and flavors we enjoy today.

2. The city of Frankfurt is often credited with creating the modern version of the hot dog, which became known as the “little-dog” or “dachshund” sausage in honor of the beloved German breed. In 1852, the city’s butchers’ guild coined the name “frankfurter” for their take on the spicy, smoked sausage. Austrians may have an equally valid claim, though, because Vienna (Wien in German) is home to another dachshund sausage variation, the wienerwurst.

3. Germans and other European immigrants brought the little-dog sausage to America where it was first served in its unique bread wrapper. There are differing theories on when and where frankfurters and wieners started appearing in buns.

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