July is National Hot Dog Month

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, July is National Hot Dog month and millions of these cylindrical treats will be downed this year alone. The council reports that Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs every year.

The hot dog received its name from New York sports cartoonist Tad Dorgan. In 1901, at a baseball game at the Polo Grounds in New York, vendors began selling hot dachshund sausages in rolls (this was the name of the dogs back in the day!) Dorgan was sketching the scene at the ballpark, but wasn’t sure of the spelling of dachshund so he called them “hot dogs” in the cartoon and thus, the name stuck and we now sell Hot Dogs.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council researched favorite condiments for these tasty morsels and found that for adults, mustard in the condiment of choice, while children prefer ketchup. They also found that from region to region the taste for various condiments change.  For instance, in New York, they enjoy steamed onions and mustard on their hot dogs, but further west, in Chicago the condiments of choice include mustard, relish, onions, tomato slices and more. In Los Angeles, mayonnaise and cheese is popular for the hot dog public. And last, but not least-- the south enjoys all the above, as well as, sauerkraut, chili, mayonnaise or cheese.

So, how long has the hot dog been around? Some say that Homer’s Odyssey mentions a man beside the fire roasting a sausage as early as the 9^th century B.C. The bun to hold these yummy treats was not invented until in 1867 when a German butcher, Charles Feltman, served the hot dog as a sandwich on a roll, giving us the hot dog we love today.

Interesting trivia about hot dogs. Will it change your life? Probably not but it does make you think and go Hmmmm…

Marlene Dietrich, (1902-1992) famous movie star of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s once said that hot dogs and champagne were her favorite meal.

Babe Ruth, (1895-1948) legendary baseball play once downed 24 hot dogs between games of a double header. Wowee! Betcha he was moving slower in that second game!

The world’s biggest hot dog was 1,996 feet long, created by Sara Lee Corp. in honor of the 1996 Olympics. A 1,983 foot hot dog was made in May 1983 by Bill-Mar Foods of Zeeland, Wis. A 2,377-foot chicken dog was made in 1985 by Maple Lodge Farms in Norval, Canada. In 1978, David Berg of Chicago made a six-foot, 681-pound beef hot dog in a 100-pound poppy seed bun covered with two gallons of mustard.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt served hot dogs to King George VI of England during his 1939 visit to the United States. The king asked for seconds!

The world record for eating hot dogs is 53 1/2 Nathan's hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes by Takeru Kobayashi. Too much of a good thing, I think!