The origin of the weiner has been a subject
of controversy for generations since Frankfurt, German, as well as
Vienna, Austria have long laid claim as the birthplace of these
delicious dogs. As Americans, I don't think any of us would
argue the fact that our European Ancestors (probably of many
different nationalities) brought the delectable concept of these
little sausages we have come to crave to the North American shores.
However, the Hot Dog as we know it today certainly took it's
first steps right here in the good ole United States.
Most reports give German immigrant, Charles Feltman, most of
the commercial credit for making the little "dashshund
sausages" a success by selling them from a Coney Island hot dog
stand in 1871. The littler wieners, wrapped in a warm milk roll,
were easy to handle (to prevent the little hot sausages from burning
your hand), and were portable so that strolling down the "boulevard"
on a summer afternoon was as "easy as apple pie"(but that's another
story). The little hot dogs also became popular fare
at baseball games that same year.
In 1916 Nathan Handwerker, an employee of Charles Feltman, broke
away and with his wife Ida and started
Nathan's Famous, Inc. which now calls itself
the
"greatest hot dog purveyer". He sold his hot dogs for 5 cents each
and used two different spice suppliers to keep his sausage recipe
secret. Nathan's is world renowned with International
stores and online shopping. The annual Nathan's Famous
Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island has been held
at the original Coney Island hot dog stand every Independence Day
since 1916. Next time you're 'up north' you can visit the original
Nathan's hot dog store at 1310 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
The average meal price today is about $5.00.
And, lest Texas be left out of any good story, the footnote to the
hot dog is the corny dog. This delectable variation of the weiner
dipped in cornmeal batter and fried to a tender golden brown was
introduced at the 1946 Texas State Fair by Texan Neil Fletcher.
