The legend of the hot dog, from Coney Island to New York
i24NEWS ·
The 3 Minutes POP on the hot dog, "a standard of American cuisine, if you can call it cuisine," present at every celebration here: birthdays, barbecues, national holiday. While the origin of the sausage is hard to trace, the hot dog had its first hours of glory on the American East Coast, in Coney Island, at "the best-known hot dog stand in the world," Nathan's, where David Benaym meets Julie, from Pennsylvania, on her first visit: "I want it to be the best hot dog I've ever eaten, with cheese and chili." Americans are estimated to eat 20 billion hot dogs a year, with a peak on July 4, Independence Day. This is also where the famous hot dog eating contest takes place, broadcast live by ESPN: this year, 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes, with a technique that involves wetting the bun before eating it. There is even a hot dog museum listing all the official condiments: ketchup, mustard, relish, sautéed onions, pickles, melted cheese. Among the variations, the "friand" or puff pastry in France, but the most popular in New York remains the hot dog on a stick. Stands like this one are all over Manhattan, a chance to taste the original hot dog, which has existed in the city since 1916. David Benaym's 3 Minutes POP in Benjamin Petrover's “C'été l'info”, i24NEWS in French, July 12, 2018.