The rise of the hot dog as a quintessential American symbol

Whether you enjoy your hot dog grilled or boiled, topped with mustard, ketchup, or chili, we can all agree that these tasty treats have become a key part of America's cultural fabric.

This year, hot dogs are hotter than ever; in March, IRI data revealed a 127% increase in sales, and that surge happened even before the summer grilling season kicked off.

Billions of hot dogs consumed

According to Eric Mittenthal, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans munch through an estimated 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

While hot dogs may seem quintessentially American, their origins are actually quite different.

Also called the frankfurter, this particular type of sausage was originally thought to come from Frankfurt, Germany. However, food historians argue that the roots of sausage-making, particularly in Eastern Europe and Germany, can’t be traced back to a single town.

The original German-style hot dog, which made its way to the U.S., was a mixture of pork and beef. The all-beef hot dog we’re familiar with today was developed by Jewish-American butchers, who avoided pork due to Kosher dietary laws.

"To understand the origins of the hot dog, you need to consider where the German immigrants came from," says Dr. Bruce Kraig, a retired professor at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Kraig, a renowned hot dog historian, has authored several books, including *Hot Dog: A Global History* and *A Rich and Fertile Land: A History of Food in America.*

"Many of the early German immigrants hailed from the Palatinate region," which surrounds Frankfurt, Kraig explains. Frankfurt, he adds, refers to the broader region, but the actual sausages weren’t necessarily made in Frankfurt itself.

Hot dogs, introduced to America by German immigrants in the mid-1800s, quickly became a part of the American cultural scene, starting with street vendors in New York City. These convenient snacks were a perfect fit for the busy New Yorkers who loved eating on the go.

"Hot dogs made their first appearance with German immigrants in the late 1840s," said Kraig.

"The Germans have a rich sausage tradition. They enjoy sausages from butcher shops, eat them at home, on the streets at fairs, and in beer gardens. So when they arrived in America, they quickly set up beer gardens," Kraig explained.

Iconic street food

According to Kraig, Americans soon fell in love with the German tradition of eating sausages on the streets. "There’s plenty of evidence of sausage being sold by vendors as early as the 1840s, and certainly by the 1860s. Wherever Germans settled, sausages were being sold on the streets."

The 'plural' of sausages is key. Germany isn’t known for just one type of sausage but for its vast variety, including weisswurst made from veal and poultry, bratwurst made of pork, and landjäger, a dried sausage similar to jerky.

German sausages are so diverse and abundant, it’s surprising that only one variety became a staple in American cuisine.

In 1867, a Brooklyn baker named Charles Feltman began selling hot dogs from a converted pie cart on Coney Island. “At the time, Coney Island wasn’t much of a destination,” said Michael Quinn, co-owner of Feltman’s of Coney Island, a hot dog brand his brother Joe and he acquired in 2015.

The birth of the bun

Charles Feltman created the first hand-sliced, elongated bun, setting the stage for what we know today as the modern hot dog bun.

As demand for his hot dogs soared — Michael Quinn, a Coney Island historian, notes that Feltman sold around 4,000 hot dogs in the first summer — Feltman expanded, partnering with restaurants and hotels and opening a large resort in Coney Island in 1873.

"In the end, it was marketed as the largest restaurant in the world," said Michael Quinn.

According to various historical records, including the Coney Island History Project, by the 1920s, Feltman’s Ocean Pavilion restaurant was serving around five million customers annually, selling approximately 40,000 hot dogs a day.

Suddenly, hot dogs were taking center stage nationally, and Coney Island became the ultimate summer destination for everyone in and around New York City.

Coney Island

The transformation began in 1875 when Charles Feltman persuaded Andrew Culver, president of the Prospect Park Railroad, to extend the subway line to Coney Island, granting thousands of New Yorkers access to the far reaches of Brooklyn for the first time.

The combination of the subway extension and Feltman’s massive resort turned Coney Island into a key cultural landmark — with hot dogs playing a central role in this moment of cultural significance.

Though Feltman’s empire eventually faded and Coney Island became known more for its nostalgic boardwalk vibe than its luxurious resort, Feltman had already unwittingly given birth to one of America’s most iconic hot dog figures when he hired a bun-slicer who would later become one of the nation’s most famous hot dog vendors.

"Back then, they didn’t have machines," Michael Quinn explained. "So, one of the bun-slicers Feltman hired was Nathan Handwerker. He worked as a bun-slicer at Feltman’s!"

Nathan Handwerker, the same man who once worked for Feltman, would go on to establish his own rival brand, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, in 1916. That brand would eventually become a symbol of Coney Island hot dogs.

In many ways, Nathan’s hot dogs have come to define the Fourth of July, especially with the famous Nathan’s Hot Dog-Eating Contest that takes place each summer. Hot dogs have helped cement Coney Island’s reputation.

"They became such a sensation that Charles Feltman ended up building a nearly century-long empire around them," said Joe Quinn, co-owner of Feltman’s of Coney Island.

How do you like yours?

New York wasn’t the only place where hot dogs found a home in the late 19th century. According to Eric Mittenthal, "Hot dogs spread across the country as immigrants moved to different regions." The Chicago-style hot dog, for example, became popular during the Great Depression when vendors began offering a variety of toppings that customers could pile onto their dogs. However, Chicago isn’t the only city with its own unique take on the hot dog.

While hot dog toppings vary by region, one thing remains the same: affordability. Hot dogs are accessible, delicious, and filling no matter where you are or which city you’re in. This makes them universally appealing, regardless of location. (And now, even vegetarians and vegans can enjoy them, thanks to meat-free options like Beyond Meat and other plant-based brands.)

German immigrants brought their passion for sausages to cities across the United States, including Detroit, Milwaukee, and later, Los Angeles.

Wherever Germans settled, hot dogs soon followed. New Yorkers, however, will argue that the hot dog, a food perfectly suited for eating on the go, is particularly tied to their city. That connection has endured for over a century.

"The beauty of having a hot sausage on a long bun — it’s quintessentially New York," said Michael Quinn. "New Yorkers love to walk and eat."

As for the name, hot dogs were originally called "red hots," a term still used in Maine and Detroit. This name emerged in the late 1800s due to the heat from the grill used to cook them. However, the "dog" part of the name was more playful. "Hot dog is just a joke word," said Kraig.

The earliest documented use of the term "hot dog" dates back to 1892, according to a newspaper clipping from Patterson, New Jersey. "The association of sausages with dogs goes back much further," Kraig admitted.

Kraig points to a popular 1800s song by Septimus Winner, titled ‘Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?’ which some believe was a reference to a missing dog in sausage meat. Thankfully, in today’s world of transparency, we can rest easy knowing that the hot dogs we enjoy today — 7 billion this summer, and counting — are completely dog-free.

That’s certainly a relief for anyone planning to enjoy National Hot Dog Month this July. Time to grab the mustard and dig in.