Why Is It Called a “Hot Dog”?

Whether you like yours plain or loaded with mustard, onions, relish, sauerkraut, chili, cheese, or bacon—or some over-the-top combination of them all—there’s no denying that hot dogs are a staple of American cuisine. This is especially true in the summertime when they dominate cookouts, ballparks, and boardwalks alike.

However, while the sausage-in-a-bun combo is instantly recognizable, the term hot dog still raises eyebrows. Where did it come from—and most importantly, does it have anything to do with actual dogs?

A Short History of Hot Dogs
The Other Possible Origins of Hot Dogs

A Short History of Hot Dogs

Like many classic food tales, the true origins of the term is a little murky. What we do know is that sausages have been around for centuries, brought to the U.S. by German immigrants in the 1800s. These sausages, often referred to as frankfurters (named after Frankfurt, Germany) or wieners (after Vienna, or Wien, in Austria), were commonly sold by street vendors in major cities like New York and Chicago. To make them easier to eat on the go, vendors began serving them in a bun—and the hot dog we know and love was born.

The term hot dog is believed to have emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century. One popular (though possibly apocryphal) story credits cartoonist Tad Dorgan, who reportedly sketched a vendor selling sausages at a baseball game and captioned it, “Get your hot dogs!”

As the story goes, Dorgan didn’t know how to spell dachshund—the dog breed the sausage supposedly resembled—so he kept it simple and went with the word dog instead. While no copy of the cartoon has ever been found, it’s often cited as a key moment in popularizing the name.

The Other Possible Origins of Hot Dogs

Another theory suggests that the name arose from a long-standing joke that cheap sausages might contain mystery meat, possibly even dog, according to Bruce Kraig, historian and author of Hot Dog: A Global History and Man Bites Dog: Hot Dog Culture in America. (Meanwhile, it’s believed that the hot part of the name may have to do with the fact that hot sausages were already being referred to as red hots.)

While there’s no evidence this was the case, the joke stuck, and the nickname took hold, helped along by its catchy, casual sound.

Today, the name is so ingrained in American culture that few question it—in fact, folks are more likely to ponder over whether hot dogs count as a sandwich. But it’s all a reminder of how foods often carry quirky, colorful backstories that trace back to immigration, slang, and a bit of marketing flair. So, the next time you bite into a hot dog, remember that you’re enjoying more than a snack—you’re savoring a slice of food history.

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