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(SavorNation) – America has two great pastimes: enjoying hot dogs and getting into debates over minor topics. Fortunately, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council is ready to support both of these cherished activities.
The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) occasionally rekindles a heated debate that has divided food enthusiasts since the early days of the internet: Is a hot dog considered a sandwich?
As it turns out, the council has a very strong opinion on the subject: No, it’s not. But it took a few years to come to that conclusion.
In 2015, the NHDSC concluded that the classic hot dog belongs to a “category of its own,” despite previously aligning with the USDA’s broad definition of a “closed-face sandwich,” which categorized hot dogs as sandwiches.
“When it first arrived on American shores from Europe in the late 1800s, it was often referred to as a ‘Coney Island Sandwich’ or ‘Frankfurter sandwich,’” the NHDSC wrote of its decision in 2015. “But much like an ‘ice cream sundae’ is simply referred to as a sundae, terminology changes.”
“Exceeds the sandwich category’
Then, in 2021, the NHDSC once again reiterated its stance — and claimed that the majority of Americans were in agreement.
That year, in honor of National Hot Dog Day, the NHDSC revealed the results of a self-commissioned survey (in partnership with the Cattleman’s Beef Board and its Beef Checkoff campaign) that found that 57% of respondents agreed with the NHDSC that hot dogs were not sandwiches.
“It’s such a relief that Americans are on the same page on these key hot dog beliefs,” said NHDSC President Eric Mittenthal in a press release. “As we’ve said time and time (and time) again … a hot dog is NOT a sandwich. It is in a classification of its own that exceeds the sandwich category.”
It goes without saying that the NHDSC, which was established by the North American Meat Institute in 1994, clearly has a dog in this fight. But that’s not to say they’re the only major mouthpiece for the meat industry. In 2018, Oscar Meyer publicly announced that hot dogs were indeed sandwiches, seemingly for no other reason than to ignite debate on Twitter.
