Hot dog
From Wikinfo
This hot dog has ketchup on it.
A hot dog is a type of sausage or alternatively a sandwich containing the meat in a long bun. Also called a frankfurter or a frank, or in America, a wiener or tube steak. Hot dogs are eaten with a wide variety of condiments, a few of which are ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, pickle relish, chopped onions, chopped lettuce, tomato slices or wedges, pickle spear and chilli pepper. A hot dog served with all available condiments is known as a hot dog with "the works".
A hot dog served with the addition of cheese is known as a "cheese hotdog" or simply a "cheese dog". A hot dog served with the addition of chili is known as a "chili dog". A hot dog served with both of these is known as a "chili cheese dog".
A hot dog on a stick fried in a corn batter is commonly called a corn dog.
Hot dogs are usually made of beef or a mixture of beef and pork, although specialty hot dogs can be found made of chicken, turkey or even vegetables. Hot dogs are often identified as to their primary ingredient; therefore a hot dog consisting only of beef is known as an "all beef hotdog", and one consisting of turkey meat is known as a "turkey hotdog". After seasoning, curing and smoking, they are usually sold with the casing removed. They can be grilled, steamed or boiled before serving. Regular hot dogs are 6 inches in length (15 cm). Twelve inch (30 cm) hot dogs are popular in some regions.
Scandinavia, especially Denmark, is famous for its hot dogs, as is Chicago.
Hot dogs are the most consumed sausage in America.
History
The invention of the hot dog, like the hamburger and ice cream cone, is often attributed to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. However, similar sausages were made and consumed in Europe, particularly in Germany, as early as 64 A.D., and the earliest example of a hot dog bun dates to New York City in the 1860s.
The hot dog's association with baseball also predates the 1904 World's Fair--St. Louis Browns owner Chris von der Ahe sold them at his ballpark in the 1880s.
Hot dogs were frequently known as frankfurters or franks until World War I, when the name was changed due to anti-German sentiments (see freedom fries). After the war the original name returned to common usage.
Takeru Kobayashi is the world's fastest hot dog eater. In 2002 he beat his previous record by one half of a hot dog by consuming 50.5 Nathan's famous hot dogs in 12 minutes.
External links
Hot Dog is also the name of Jughead Jones' pet dog.
Hot Dog is also a piece of web-editing software.
A hot dog is also a show-off, often an athlete, who performs unnecessarily flashy or dangerous stunts to attract attention to himself. The origin of this usage dates from around 1900 and its relationship to the food item is unknown.
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Hot_dog" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_dog, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
