10 Things to Know About Hot Dogs
For me, hot dogs and summer go hand-in-hand. Also called frankfurters, frank, weenie, wienie, wiener, dog, and red hot, the hot dog is basically a fully cooked sausage that consists of a combination of beef and pork or all beef, which is cured, smoked, and cooked and than placed in a bun. So now that the summer season is here, I present to you 10 Things to Know About Hot Dogs.
An Oldie But a Goodie: Sausage is one of the oldest forms of processed food and was actually mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, which is an ancient Greek tale of adventure and heroism.
Would You Like Champagne With Your Hot Dog?: President Franklin Roosevelt served King George VI of England hot dogs & beer during a White House visit in 1939. Mrs. Jimmy Carter served hot dogs at a White House picnic in 1977. Queen Elizabeth II served hot dogs at a royal banquet held for the American Bar Association.
Let’s Be Frank: When shopping for hot dogs, you should know that franks contain 100% meat while frankfurters, hot dogs and weiners can be up to 15% filler.
Forget About Cheese: A little known fact about Mickey Mouse is that his first words were “Hot dogs!” He spoke them in the 1929 short flick titled “The Karnival Kid”.
Size Does Matter: As a 1996 stunt, Sara Lee made the world’s largest dog, specifically a 2,000-foot wiener.
Moon Food: Hot dogs were actually among the first foods that were eaten on the moon. A meal for Neil Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin Jr when they went on their Apollo 11 space flight in 1969, consisted of hot dogs, bacon, canned peaches and sugar cookies.
A Hot Dog By Any Other Name: Hot Dogs got their name at The Polo Grounds in New York City in 1901. Vendors sold hot dogs from hot water tanks, shouting, “They’re red hot! Get your Dachshund sausages while they are red hot!” Cartoonist Tad Dorgan sketched the vendors but unsure of how to spell dachshund, he simply wrote “Hot Dog!” and that is how the name was given.
Mustard Cuts the Mustard: Mustard is the most popular topping with 87% of hot dog eaters using it, although children favor ketchup.
6 is the Magic Number: The average hot dog, including the bun, is consumed in 6 bites.
The City of Hot Dogs: Los Angeles is the hot-dog capital of the U.S. with Angelinos eating an average of 36.6 million pounds of hot dogs a year.
