Eating Machines Philippines

Hot Dog History

// June 22nd, 2009 // Fun Stuff

While we prepare ourselves for the gorge fest that we will thrust ourselves into on the 26th, I thought it would be nice to look back and see how our favorite meat product, the hot dog, came into existence.

Using my awesome google research skills, I have tracked down what seems to be the origin of the hot dog that we all enjoy today. Now, most of my sources (read: wikipedia) says that there is absolutely no way one can be sure of the exact origin of the hot dog because it is simply too awesome and awesomeness like that has no beginning and will definitely have no end.

Some of you might think that some time in the past, maybe around the 1930s, some guys got together and they found themselves faced with a conundrum.

Man 1: “What should we do with this huge sack of meat and this partially edible sack of intestine lining?”

Man 2: “Ooh, I know! Maybe we can stuff everything inside the other thing and see what happens from there?”

Man 1: “You’re an idiot. It won’t work.”

Man 2: “Sure it will. Here, give me that.” *stuffs meat into intestines* See?

Man 1: “OMG! You’re right! LOL! This roxxorz!”

Man 2: “But wait, that’s not all!” *whips out a piece of bread*

And I guess the rest is history. If you are thinking this, then you’re imagining it exactly the way I thought this came about. I also assume they were pioneering individuals who experiment with a great deal of other things as well, such as chemical induced happiness. Unfortunately, this isn’t how it happened.

As it turns out, the origins of the hot dog go much deeper than just 70 years ago with dudes in lab coats.

Are you guys familiar with frankfurters? The history of the hot dog can be traced back to the invention of the frankfurter, which was named for the place in which it originated and not for this guy:

It gets all a bit too technical, but my research (wikipedia) basically says the sausages who are contenders for being the top dog (pun intended) are named after where they were created. Wieners are wieners because Vienna, Austria’s German name is Wien. And yes, that’s why there are Vienna Sausages, as well (I guess.)

From what I read, these babies have been around since the 1480s as a special treat every time there was a coronation. I say that definitely beats orange juice boxes and beheadings. Other sources (also wikipedia) recognize a man who goes by the name Johann Georg Lahner, a 18/19th century butcher, as the guy who created the little dog sausages, also known as, believe or not, the dachshund. I like to think that hot dog fanatics every where have a shrine erected in their homes dedicated to Mr. Lahner.

We then fast forward to 1870, where a guy named Charles Feltman, a German immigrant, sold sausages in rolls at Coney Island, where dreams are born and sausages are sold in rolls.

Another person who is said to be credited for the existence of the meat/bread combo is the wife of a German, who sold hot dogs in the streets of St. Louis, Missouri in 1880. The idea was said to have come from preventing their customers from stealing the containers of the sausages. Something like that. Apparently, in those days, women would be known throughout history as the wife of whoever no matter how enormous their contribution was to society.

In 1904 or 1893 at two very different places, another guy named Anton Ludwig Feuchtwanger is said to have sold sausages in rolls in bread to prevent customers from stealing containers.

There are few more theories, but it’s pretty obvious that no one can really peg it down to one guy or even one city for that matter. This only means one thing: my theory is just as valid as anyone else’s: