A History of the Hotdog Essay

Sausage is one of the oldest forms of processed food, having been mentioned in Homer's Odyssey as far back as the 9th Century B.C. Fraunken-au-main, Germany, is traditionally credited with orginating the frankfurter. However, this claim is disputed by those who believe that the popular sausage-known as a "dachshund" or "little-dog" sausage-was created in the late 1600's by Johann Georghehner, a butcher, living in Coburg, Germany. Reportedly, Georghehner later traveled to Frankfurt to promote his new product. In 1987, the city of Frankfurt celebrated the 500th birthday of the hot dog in that city. It's said that the frankfurter was developed there in 1484, five years before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world. However, the people of Vienna, Austria, point to the term "wiener" to prove their claim as the birthplace of the hot dog. As it turns out, it is likely that the North American hot dog comes from a common European sausage brought here by butchers of several nationalities. The year, 1893, was an important date in hot dog history. In Chicago that year, the Colombian Exposition brought hordes of visitors who consumed large quantities of sausages sold by vendors. People liked this food that was easy to eat, convenient and inexpensive. In the same year, sausages became the standard fare at baseball parks. This tradition was begun by a St. Louis bar owner, Chris Von de Ahe, who also owned the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team. Also in doubt is who first served the dachshund sausage with a roll. One report says a German imigrant sold them, along with milk rolls and sauerkraut, from a push cart in New York City during the 1860's. In 1871, Charles Feltman, a German butcher opened up the first Coney Island hot dog stand selling 3,684 dachshund sausages in a milk roll during his first year in business. Today's hot dog on a bun was probably introduced during the St. Louis "Louisiana...