12 Delicious Hot Dogs From Around the World

Hot dogs have German roots and are an American staple—but they’re also a global food find. Across the United States and around the world, these tube steaks take on different toppings and tastes.

1. Danish Hot Dog

In 2021, Denmark is celebrating the centenary of its first hot dog stand—vendor Charles Svendsen Stevns opened several locations around Copenhagen in 1921. The signature Danish dog is topped with onions (fried and raw) and thinly sliced pickles, and sauced with ketchup, mustard, and remoulade, and can be found at carts and stands around the country.

2. Sonoran Hot Dog

Created in Hermosillo, the capital of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora, this hot dog is popular in two Arizona cities: Tucson and Phoenix. First, the Sonoran is wrapped in bacon, cooked, and put into a bolillo bun (a savory Mexican bread). Then, it’s commonly embellished with pinto beans, onions, and tomatoes, plus jalapenos, mayo, and mustard. Phoenix’s Nogales Hot Dogs offers customers the option of add-on condiments ranging from mushrooms to salsa and cilantro.

3. Salchipapa Hot Dog

If you want to know what Salchipapa (or Salchipapas) is all about, look no further than its name: Salchi is Spanish for sausage, and papas translates to potatoes, which are native to Andean highlands. Found in Peru, Ecuador, and other Latin American countries, a Salchipapa comes on a plate instead of a bun; the meat is pan-fried, cut into pieces, and put on top of French fries. It gets dressed with ketchup, mayo, aji chili sauce, and mustard, and can also include cheese and other toppings.

4. Boerewors Roll

This hot dog centers on boerewors, a South African sausage primarily comprised of ground beef that’s mixed with lamb or pork. Its name comes from the combination of the Afrikaans words boer (“farmer”) and wors (“sausage”). It gets seasoned with malt vinegar, coriander seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, and allspice. Commonly, the boerewors is cooked over a grill as one big coil and then cut up into pieces, placed in a hot dog bun, and adorned with onion relish and tomato sauce.

5. Párek v Rohlíku

Sold at food carts and even gas stations, this Czech street food looks unique: A long, thin hot dog gets wrapped inside a long bread roll called rohík, which makes certain that the toppings—ketchup or mustard—stay contained upon eating it. A butcher named Václav Masopust reportedly came up with párek v rohlíku in 1972 after seeing a similar type being sold in Madrid.

6. Panchuker

Panchuker (also spelled as panchuque) originated in Argentina’s Tucumán province and can be found at street kiosks. The dough for the bun is comprised of flour, milk, eggs, salt, and pepper, and it gets poured into a machine that’s similar to a waffler maker. Next, the sausage is added in; one more pouring of batter creates a corn dog-like sandwich. Panchuker can be enjoyed with French fries, mustard, ketchup, mayo, and golf sauce, an Argentinian sauce mixture of the latter two condiments.

7. Khanom Tokyo

In Thailand, hot dogs get fitted with fixings that can be sweet, savory, or spicy, including chili sauce, chopped peanuts, and fresh vegetables. They can also take on different interpretations. For example, Khanom Tokyo is a thin Thai crepe done two ways: the filling can be savory—with ingredients like egg, soy sauce, minced pork, and a sausage—or a sweet, creamy custard. Either way, the treat gets rolled up into a hot dog shape.

8. Italian Hot Dog

A New Jersey tradition, the Italian hot dog is said to have been invented by James "Buff" Racioppi, owner of Jimmy Buff's in Newark. Initially a treat they served to friends and family, it was such a hit that it became a menu item. The hot dogs are fried in oil and presented on a quarter of an Italian roll. Then, they’re covered with sautéed onions, peppers, and potatoes.

9. Chicago-Style Hot Dog

Chicago’s signature hot dog is covered in yellow mustard, relish, diced onions, tomato wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt, all on a poppy seed bun. The all-beef hot dog comes from Vienna Beef, which introduced their frankfurters at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.

10. Coney Dog

Also called the Coney Island hot dog, the story behind this Michigan food find is unclear (one theory is its name comes from Greek immigrants who had passed through New York City on their way to Detroit and appropriated the name of the city’s summertime destination). The Coney dog is a beef frankfurter in a natural casing that’s nestled in a soft steamed bun and topped off with an all-meat chili (no beans here!), diced white onions, and yellow mustard.

11. Tunnbrödsrulle

Found at most hot dog stands and eateries in Scandinavia, this Swedish food takes on a completely different texture. Instead of a bun, it’s wrapped up in a flatbread—and the differences don’t stop there: Along with the hot dog, Tunnbrödsrulle contains mashed potatoes, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, fried onion, ketchup, mustard, and, sometimes, shrimp salad.

12. Scrambled Dog

In Columbus, Georgia, the more-than-century old Dinglewood Pharmacy holds the copyright on this house specialty that looks more like a stew that a hot dog. Associated with the pharmacy’s longtime cook, the late Lieutenant Charles Stevens, their Scrambled Dog consists of sliced up red wieners smothered with slow-cooked chili and topped with pickles, oyster crackers, and coleslaw; some customers might opt to add on ketchup or grated cheese. The Scrambled Dog also has a history at Nu-Way Weiners, a dining institution in Macon whose open-faced version gets loaded with a bean chili.