The Not So Clear History of the Hot Dog

“Dachshund” dog or hot dog?

At Field, we love all things hot dog, which is why we offer a brief history on the origin and evolution of one of our favorite products.

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, is traditionally credited with originating the frankfurter. The popular sausage was known as a “dachshund” or “little-dog” sausage.

It continued under that name for centuries, even in the US, where it was very popular. That seemingly changed in 1901 on a cold April day at the NY Polo Grounds. Vendors were hawking hot dogs from portable hot water tanks shouting “They’re red hot! Get your dachshund sausages while they’re red hot!” A New York Journal sports cartoonist observed the scene and hastily drew a cartoon of barking dachshund sausages nestled warmly in rolls. Not sure how to spell “dachshund” he simply wrote “hot dog! And there you have it.

For a more detailed history of the hot dog click here.

We at Field know that hot dogs make people happy and put smiles on their faces. In fact all this summer we are collecting happy smile photos from all of our fans. We hope you will share the next smile photo you take by clicking here.