Last Friday I journeyed with the kids, my sister’s family, and my parents to the Pittsburgh zoo. We had a great time seeing all the animals, and even the car ride was fun (over two hours away). On the way home, somehow or another we got talking about food, and Xoe asked me, not for the first time, why hot dogs are called hot dogs.
Hmmm… I promised to look it up, and promptly did so. =)
Firstly, a hot dog is defined as a particular type of sausage, usually served on a split bun. Check. And in the 1890s, sausages were sometimes referred to as “dogs.” Why? Well, ahem, there was apparently a suspicion that some sausages contained dog meat. And while I didn’t see any documentation on it, the articles said this suspicion was “occasionally justified.”
Ewww. Awww. =( I didn’t tell Xoe that justified part. Just that some people accused sausage makers of it.
Anyway. So earning the name “dog” was just because it was in the sausage family. The fact that they were served on buns made them a quick and easy meal when on the go, and apparently a little boy in the 1890s rushed up to a vendor and said, “Give me a hot dog! Quick!” and it stuck. (Yeah, sounds like lure, doesn’t it? LOL) It was popularized by a cartoon that really got the name stuck.
What’s even more interesting is that it only took 6 years from “hot dog” to go from the accepted name of that particular sausage to a verb used when someone’s showing off. By 1906, “Hot dog!” as an expression of approval had gained its place too.
So now that we’re moving toward the season of picnics and cookouts, you’ll know why you’re tossing hot dogs on the grill and not frankfurters or weiners or plain ol’ sausages. 😉
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Vienna!! I would absolutely love to go there! It is at the top of my "Places I must Go" list. Such rich history. Especially music history.
Thank you for sharing!!
This was so interesting! I must admit though, I do not like hot dogs…especially after I found out what goes in to them about 5 years ago. It is just so disgusting! What a way for companies to make some easy money with their waste products!
I knew I was spelling something wrong, Sascha. 😉 But it was pre-coffee and my brain wouldn't think of what, LOL.
We had a lovely Easter, thanks! Hope you're doing well in Vienna.
I always thought they put rat meat in there 😉 But maybe hot rat is not as catchy…
Please allow me to point out the correct spelling of "wiener", given that I work in Vienna at the moment – where they call them frankfurter 🙂
Hope you had a nice Pasqua. Always very interesting to read these posts from you!
Happy to oblige, my friend. =)
SO fascinating! Was VERY curious about this one, as soon as I saw the name of the post. Thanks for satisfying that curiousity 🙂