Why is a hot dog called a sandwich?

Limiting the hot dog’s significance by saying it’s ‘just a sandwich’ is like calling the Dalai Lama ‘just a guy’. Perhaps at one time its importance could be limited by forcing it into a larger sandwich category (no disrespect to Reubens and others), but that time has passed. We therefore choose to take a cue from a great performer and declare our namesake be a “hot dog formerly known as a sandwich. Read full announcement here.

1. If you were watching a great athlete showing off during a game, you don’t call him a sandwich.

2. Does ESPN broadcast sandwich eating contests?

3. Imagine being at the ballpark with the organ playing, the crowd cheering and a vendor walking through the stands saying “Sandwich, get your sandwich here!”

4. Dirty Harry would not have sounded nearly as ominous if he said, “Never ever put mayo on a sandwich.” But when he said, “Never ever put ketchup on a hot dog,” people sat up and listened.

5. Marlene Dietrich didn’t say that champagne and sandwiches were her favorite foods; it was champagne and hot dogs she loved.

6. You wouldn’t get arrested for putting ketchup on a sandwich in Chicago.

7. There are never any myths or mystique about what’s in a sandwich.

8. No one ever sang about wishing they were a sandwich.

9. You don’t go to the ballpark and see racing sandwiches.

10. Babe Ruth wasn’t sent to the hospital and rumored to be dead because he ate too many sandwiches,

11. There was never an organized campaign for a sandwich emoji.

12. If you won the lottery, would you say “Sand wich!” No, you’d say, “hot dog!”

“Are hot dogs sandwiches?”

It’s the kind of question that can make your blood boil, raise your voice a few octaves higher than you knew possible, and summon strong opinions from even the shyest snacker in your friend group. Ahead of the July 4th weekend and the infamous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest held each year on New York’s Coney Island (I’m rooting for you, as always, Joey Chestnut), outdoor furniture retailer RTAOutdoorLiving.com surveyed 1,000 individuals in an attempt to settle the debate with no end. Reader: the results may be disturbing, so proceed at your own risk.

As it turns out, 56.8 percent of those surveyed believe that hot dogs are, in fact, sandwiches. Take a breath, maybe grab a drink of water (or something stronger), and continue on.

Leading the way were the baby boomers, 63.5 percent of whom thought that a hot dog met the criteria for being considered a sandwich, compared to 60 percent of all male participants and 50 percent of Gen Zers. To make matters juicier, 75.2 percent of all participants also agreed that a hamburger is a sandwich. But we’re not even going to get into that.

Those who voted for a hot dog being a sandwich are not without support. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) describes a sandwich as “a meat or poultry filling between two slices of bread, a bun, or a biscuit.” By that definition, sure, a hot dog is a sandwich.

But it’s not.

When I presented the debate results to the Food52 editorial team, our team Slack channel went off. Team members were quick to weigh in with opinions—and the battle lines were drawn. "I feel like there needs to be two separate pieces of bread to qualify," said Food52 Assigning Editor Rebecca Firkser. Others disagreed. Caroline Mullen, Home52's Assistant Editor, thickened the plot by asking: "what about a sausage sandwich?" Some were against the idea of a hot dog being considered a sandwich, but agreed that it is, in fact, a piece of meat stuffed between a piece of bread. “Technically speaking, I suppose a hot dog is a sandwich,” said Food52 Columnist Ella Quittner. “But emotionally speaking, it's something else entirely. If I were jonesing for an enormous sandwich and someone gave me a hot dog, I would be furious.”

In 2015, The National Hot Dog And Sausage Council (yes this is a real organization and I would love to know how I can become a member immediately) released a statement saying that hot dogs are not sandwiches. “A hot dog is an exclamation of joy, a food, a verb describing one ‘showing off,’ and even an emoji. It is truly a category unto its own. Limiting the hot dog’s significance by saying it’s ‘just a sandwich’ is like calling the Dalai Lama ‘just a guy.’ Perhaps at one time its importance could be limited by forcing it into a larger sandwich category (no disrespect to Reubens and others), but that time has passed,” said NHDSC President and ‘Queen of Wien’ Janet Riley.

If you need more evidence that a hot dog is not a sandwich, leave it to Joey Chestnut. In 2017, Chestnut, a nine-time champion of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, tweeted that hot dogs are not sandwiches. “It's #NationalHotDogDay and as President, I want it to be known that the Hot Dog stands free and independent from the tyranny of the sandwich," Chestnut wrote. This declaration was yet another victory for the man who holds the world record for eating the most hot dogs ever in 10 minutes (a total of 74).

The F52 team is by no means the first to have this debate. I recently RSVP’d to the wedding of two close friends and on their online form, guests were asked to fill out pretty standard information: their names, their choice of entrée, dietary restrictions, and… whether or not they thought that hot dogs were sandwiches. It seems that it’s just one of those questions that will never be put to rest. With the 4th of July just around the corner, the debate is only gonna heat up.

The hot dog is boldly included (and defined) in an article on the Merriam-Webster website, but M-W acknowledges that this pronouncement may be met with raised eyebrows.

According to the article, “hot dog refers either to the sausage that you buy squeezed in a plastic package with 7 or so of its kind, or to the same sausage heated and served in a long split roll.”

And then the bomb is dropped: “When it’s served in the roll, it’s also a sandwich.”

The word wizards continue: “We know: the idea that a hot dog is a sandwich is heresy to some of you. But given that the definition of sandwich is ‘two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between,’ there is no sensible way around it.”

The Public Disagrees: The Hot Dog Is Not a Sandwich

The Louisville Courier-Journal, however, is not buying this argument. A few years back, the Kentucky newspaper ran a correction apologizing for referring to hot dogs as sandwiches 10 times between 1887 and 1996.

The Fox Sports website also calls the whole hot dog = sandwich equation bologna. Reporter Rocco DeMaro interviewed a number of experts—in this case, Major League Baseball players. “If you ask somebody to go make you a sandwich, they’re not gonna make you a hot dog,” said Oakland A’s player Josh Harrison.

Closer to home, in our collection of hot dog recipes, we use the word “sandwich” only once, but the wieners in question (pigs in a blanket) are wrapped in crescent rolls instead of buns. Even more telling: in our roundup of the best hot dog in every state, we don’t use the s-word at all.

The Daily Meal tries to sit on the fence on the question (while simultaneously muddying the hot dog waters by introducing burgers into the argument). The website gives the dictionary its due, but still implies an anti-sandwich mindset: “Burgers and hot dogs exist in their own section of the menu, separate from the ‘Sandwiches.’ For all intents and purposes, they are completely different food items from sandwiches. But in terms of classifications, these cookout staples are indeed sandwiches, whether you think of them that way or not.”

The definitive quote—and possibly the last word—on the subject appropriately come from another pro baseball player.

“No, it’s not a sandwich. It’s a hot dog,” says Brock Holt of the Texas Rangers.

Why Is It Called a Hot Dog?

There’s been so much buzz around the “is a hot dog a sandwich” debate, but while we’re on the topic, there’s something else we’re wondering about too: why is it called a hot dog, anyway?

There are several theories about how the American classic got its name, and they all begin with the association of hot dogs—or frankfurters, wienerwurst and all manner of long, skinny sausages—to the iconic German dog breed, the dachshund. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council dug into the history of the hot dog: Germans were actually calling their frankfurters “hot dachshunds” long before they came over to the United States. So, the invention of the term “hot dog” is basically a jump from “dachshund” to “dog.”

Nevertheless, the public still disagrees over who first made the jump. In the late 1800s, vendors called “dog wagons” were parked outside the Yale dorms selling the sausages. One of them was even called “The Kennel Club”—a clear tie to the term “hot dog.”

Another potential source of the term “hot dog” happened shortly after in 1901. Legend has it, New York sports cartoonist Tad Dorgan was depicting a moment where a vendor was selling frankfurters at the polo grounds, yelling “Get your dachshund sausages while they’re red hot!” While he was drawing and captioning, Dorgan didn’t know how to spell “dachshund,” and wrote “hot dog” in the caption instead of “hot dachshund.” He even drew little dachshunds inside rolls instead of frankfurters. However, there is no record of this cartoon.

No matter who called it a hot dog first, we don’t blame anyone for wanting to take credit for the American classic! We love them no matter how they got their name. At your next cookout, share why it’s called a hot dog with your friends and make sure to try out these regional hot dog styles for yourself.

Hot Dogs! Get Your Hot Dogs Here!

These baked hot dog sandwiches appeal to kids of all ages. Even my husband, Allan, admits to enjoying every bite! We like to dip them in ketchup and mustard. —Linda Young, Longmont, Colorado

Originally Published: December 31, 1969