There aren’t many foods more American than a good hot dog. Today is National Hot Dog Day, which means that you can find deals all over, including 7 Eleven, Sonic, or even Harris Teeter. There are several food trucks in the Washington, DC area known for their hot dogs as well, such as Swizzler, Federal City Bros, and Dogs on the Curb. To celebrate the occasion, here are five fun facts about hot dogs.
1. Hot dogs didn’t actually originate in the United States.
Its close relatives, sausages, can be traced as far back as ancient Rome during the emperor Nero’s reign. The hot dog in its present form was likely first invented in Germany. Town officials in Frankfurt, Germany claim that they were invented in their city in 1484. The people of Vienna, however, claim it as their own invention.
2. The world record for hot dogs consumed is 74.
During Nathan’s Famous annual hot dog eating contest, Joey Chestnut broke his own world record for the third consecutive time by eating 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes. On the women’s side, 98-pound Sonya Thomas broke the women’s world record by eating 45 hot dogs.
3. Americans really love hot dogs.
The average American eats 50 hot dogs per year. On the 4th of July, Americans average 150 million hot dogs. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans are expected to eat a total of 7 billion hot dogs. The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council estimates that American purchase 9 billion hot dogs per year at retail stores.
4. Mustard, not ketchup, is the most popular hot dog topping.
According to a 2014 online survey, 71 percent of Americans top their hot dogs with mustard compared to 52 percent who use ketchup. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, that’s a thing), along with many hot dog connoisseurs, deem ketchup an unacceptable hot dog condiment, which likely affects these numbers among different age groups.
5. Hot dogs were taken to the moon.
During the Apollo 7 mission in 1968, the astronauts didn’t take too well to the original diet of freeze-dried ice cream. The following year on the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts Neil Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin, found that hot dogs made for great space food.
Did we miss any fun facts? Leave them in the comments section below.