Is a hot dog just a sandwich and should anyone really care?
Believe it or not, many people have strong opinions on this, including some top chefs
There’s a long-running argument in the food world, splitting opinions and turning a small partisan valley into a wide canyon of a schism. The question: is a hot dog a sandwich? Everyone who’s downed a late-night post-boozing bratwurst or noshed on a pavement frankfurter seems to have strong views on the matter. Even the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has come down with a verdict. Its vote is yes!
“The definition of sandwich is ‘two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between’. Hence, a hot dog fits the definition,” the dictionary website posted a while ago.
Frankly though, lots of people disagree even if they accept the textbook sandwich characterisation. Hot dog enthusiasts contend a wiener in an oblong bun is so iconic, it transcends such a limiting pigeon-hole. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council in the United States – of course there is one – agrees.
“A hot dog is not a sandwich,” the organisation said in a 2015 press release. “Limiting the hot dog’s significance by saying it’s just a sandwich is like calling the Dalai Lama just a guy.”
Other, prominent voices concur. Actor Matt Damon, cook Rachael Ray and, until his untimely death, chef and TV presenter Anthony Bourdain are all on record as saying the German-American invention defies classification such is its intangible cultural importance.
It’s more than a sandwich. Some suggest it’s closer in spirit to a taco. Other questions arise, like what if the sausage was between sliced bread?
Historically speaking, it’s also complicated because in the late 1800s, when a vendor put a frankfurter in an elongated bun, it was advertised as a sausage sandwich. But that label was dropped when some Old World slang took hold. A frankfurter is known in Germany as a “hot dachshund” in reference to the popular local dog breed. When the food reached America, they translated it literally. The sandwich descriptor became moot.
I don’t care where the wiener bun fits. I don’t have a dog in this fight. It’s a fun debate for so many folks to get hung up on; however, there are so many other foods that also defy easy categorisation.
Honestly, I’m not sure where anything really fits any more. As for the hot dog faction, I know they already hate me.
Hardcore dog lovers insist you can only use mustard (and possibly onions and sauerkraut) as condiments. I’ve been known to add ketchup and relish.
Let the hate begin.
Saying a hot dog is just a sandwich is like calling the Dalai Lama just a guy
THE NATIONAL HOT DOG AND SAUSAGE COUNCIL