National Hot Dog Day 2022: History and significance

Every dog has its day and Wednesday is National Hot Dog Day. 

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council designated this day to celebrate hot dogs. It is marked on the third Wednesday of July every year. In 1971, Hot Dog Day was first celebrated by students in Alfred, New York.

Hot dogs are believed to have their origin in Frankfurt, Germany, around the year 1484. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, hot dog season begins from Memorial Day, and lasts until Labor Day — a period often considered the peak of the baseball season.

Also Read | July 4: Joey Chestnut marks 15th win at Nathan’s hot dog eating competition

Independence Day is also the occasion when Nathan’s Famous hosts its annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council says that Americans eat 7 billion hot dogs from Memorial Day to Labor Day during “peak hot dog season.” That’s 818 hot dogs eaten every second.

At baseball stadiums alone, over 24 million hot dogs are purchased, the most being consumed by Los Angeles Dodger fans. In 1893, hot dogs and baseball officially came together in St. Louis, thanks to the owner of the St. Louis Browns, now known as the Baltimore Orioles.

Also Read | Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest: All you need to know

According to National Today, 150 million hot dogs are consumed during the Fourth of July holiday in America. About 20 billion hot dogs are consumed by Americans in a year. At least 95% homes in the US consume hot dogs.

In other words, Americans love hot dogs.

So what exactly does a hot dog contain? It mainly contains pork, beef, chicken and turkey, or some might consist a combination of all these items. Other ingredients used to make it delicious include curing agents, water and spices, sugar, white pepper.