Hot Dogs, also known as a frankfurter, dog, or wiener, is a type of sandwich, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a partially sliced bun. It’s a type of sausage sandwich that is served with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish, coleslaw, cheese, chili, olives and sauerkraut. Take a look below for 26 more fun and interesting facts about hot dogs.

1. Hot dogs variants include the corn dog and the pig in a blanket.

2. The hot dog’s cultural traditions include the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

3. This type of sausage was culturally imported from Germany and popularized in the United States, where it became a working class street food sold at hot dogs stands and carts.

4. The hot dog became closely associated with baseball and American culture.

5. Although it’s particularly connected with New York City and New York City cuisine, the hot dog became ubiquitous throughout the United States during the 20th century, and emerged as an important part of some regional cuisines.

6. The word “frankfurter” comes from Frankfurt, Germany, where pork sausages similar to hot dogs originated.

7. Frankfurter Wurstchen sausages were known since the 13th century and given to the people on the event of imperial coronations, starting with the coronation of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor as King.

8. A German immigrant named Feuchtwanger, from Frankfurt, in Hesse, allegedly pioneered the practice of hot dogs in the American Midwest.

9. In 1867, Charles Feltman, at Coney Island in New York City, made a cart with a stove on it which he used to boil sausages. The cart also had a compartment to keep buns fresh, which he used to serve the sausages in.

10. In 1916, a Polish American employee of Charles Feltman called Nathan Handwerker was encouraged by Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante, both working as waiters and musicians, to go into business in competition with his former employer. Handwerker undercut Feltman’s by charging five cents for a hot dog when his former employer was charging ten.

11. At an earlier time in food regulation, when the hot dog was suspect, Nathan Handwerker made sure that men wearing surgeon’s smocks were seen eating at Nathan’s Famous to reassure potential customers that the food was safe.

12. A hot dog is actually a cooked sausage with lots of flavor variations. The sausage used for hot dogs is not the usual one though since it’s slightly smaller.

13. In 1845, there were rumors that the sausage makers used dog meat as a main ingredient of hot dogs.

14. According to the latest report from the American Institute for Cancer Research, consumers who ate one hot dog every day had almost 20% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.

15. The world’s longest hot dog was 60 meters long.

16. The world’s most expensive hot dog was sold at a price of $145.49.

17. Some companies use sodium nitrate in their hot dogs to protect them against bacterial infection. Sodium nitrate is often used as a food preservative.

18. Hot dogs are one of the NASA approved foods for astronauts.

19. Mustard is the most favorite hot dog topping among adults, while children vastly favor ketchup.

20. 818 hot dogs are consumed every second in the United States.

21. The term “dog” has been used as a synonym for sausage since the 1800s, with one thought being that it came from accusations that sausage makes used dog meat, starting in at least 1845.

22. Hot dogs are prepared commercially by mixing the ingredients, meats, spices, binders and fillers, in vats where rapidly moving blades grind and mix the ingredients in the same operation. This mixture is then forced through tubes into casings for cooking.

23. Most hot dogs sold in the United States are “skinless” as opposed to more expensive “natural casing” hot dogs.

24. In the United States, the term “hot dog” refers to both the sausage itself and the combination of sausage and bun. Many nicknames applying to either have emerged over the years, including frankfurter, frank, wiener, weenie, coney and red hot.

25. 7-Eleven sells the most grilled hot dogs in North America with 100 million being sold annually.

26. Skinner’s Restaurant, in Lockport, Manitoba is reputed to be Canada’s oldest hot dog outlet in continuous operation. It was founded in 1929, by Jim Skinner Sr.