Rather than dating the hot dog to five years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue, however, the city of Vienna claims that the hot dog began there in the late 19th century. In fact, in 1987, Frankfurt threw a huge celebration honoring the 500th anniversary of the hot dog. Two different European towns now claim to be the birthplace of the hot dog: Frankfurt, Germany and Vienna, Austria.įrankfurt (officially Frankfurt am Main) claims that the hot dog was invented there in 1487, pointing to the word frankfurter as proof of the hot dog’s roots in the city. The Germans created hundreds of versions of sausages to pair with kraut and beer. Hot dogs in EuropeĪs time rolled on, Europeans embraced sausages in their cuisine, particularly across Germany. Gaius supposedly said, “I have discovered something of great importance,” and proceeded to stuff the intestines with ground venison, ground beef, cooked ground wheat, and spices, tying them into sections as he went. To his great surprise, the pig’s puffed up intestines popped out of the roast. Gaius ran a knife into the pig’s belly to see if it was fit to eat. According to the popular telling, one pig was roasted but had not been properly cleaned. Hot dogs are a kind of sausage, which may date back to the 7th century BCE, when Homer mentioned a sausage in his epic poem The Odyssey.Ĭenturies later, around 64 CE, Emperor Nero’s cook Gaius starred in a sausage legend of his own, when it is said that he “discovered” them.Īt the time, pigs were customarily starved the week before they were to be cooked and served. Let’s start at the beginning… way back in the beginning.
It turns out, the history of the hot dog is as much the mystery of the hot dog, as its origins are shrouded in controversy and competing claims. But how did the hot dog come to be? Where did the hot dog get its name? And why can’t we ever eat enough of them? The humble hot dog, a centerpiece of Americana, evokes fond images of ballparks, cookouts, and condiment-covered bliss.
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