Changes

The traditional origin of the hot dog lies with the so-called Frankfurt sausage, or frankfurter, which was a sausage developed in Frankfurt-am-Main in Germany. This was supposedly around 1487, when this type of sausage of packaged or processed meat was developed. Frankfurt, to this day, still celebrates this time as the origin of their famous sasuages. However, Vienna disputes Frankfurt's claims, as the term "wiener" is often used to refer to sausages or hot dogs, which suggests an origin to from that city at an even earlier period. The This term for sausages or hot dogs derives from the German name for the city (Wien).<ref>For more on terms used to refer to sausages, see: Kraig, B. (2009). <i>Hot dog: a global history</i>. London: Reaktion Books. </ref>

While these traditions often point to a Medieval origin to sausages, we know in reality that sausages likely go back much further in time. In Homer's Odyssey, a type of sausage or processed meat is mentioned. In fact, as early as ancient Sumeria and Mesopotamia, about 4000 years ago, animal intestines were mentioned in texts as being used to then be stuffed with meat as a type of cuisine. It is very likely sausages developed as separate innovations in varying cultures, given the utility of the sausage and the need to efficiently use animal parts. One problem for past societies that would have likely led them to develop the sausage is the problem of having to preserve meat. Sausages would be ideal because they could be encased and then smoked or driedfor preservation. It allows meat to be easily stored while with some protective outer covering. Most likely, animal intestines would have been used from the beginning, as they still are for natural or traditional style sausages. Sausages are also easy to hang, as they still are, and store for later consumption, where the encasing also helps to further preserve the meat and keep its consistency. Early depictions of sausage manufacturing can be found from ancient Rome (Figure 1).<ref>For more on the origins of sausages, see: Allen, G. (2015). <i>Sausage: a global history</i>.London: Reaktion Books. </ref>

Sausages became common in Europe and much of the Old World, but cultures developed them to suit fit to their local tastes and meat varieties, which is why there are many meat varieties for sausages. Therefore, it is likely there is truth that Vienna and Frankfurt both had existing sausage traditions that likely then influenced what would become the hot dog. In fact, almost any European who likely migrated to the United States in the 18th or 19th centuries could claim credit for developing the hot dog, as very likely the tradition would have been widespread throughout Europe as it is today. Similar to ancient periods, the Medieval period saw continued use of sausages due to the ease in which the food preserves and its convenient packaging. Sausages were often among the few types of meats that non-elites could consume, as it was among the cheaper meats to obtain because it was generally preserved. While the use of animal intestines for food packaging would make us think there is a high probability of sickness or infection, which was likely the case in the past, it also likely helped make Europeans and others develop immunity from some parasites that would be found in animal intestines. Thus, one could argue that sausages potentially helped improve health or at least immunity from some sicknesses.<ref>For more on what is in a sausage and its history, see: Dalby, A. (2003). Food in the ancient world, from A to Z. London ; New York: Routledge, pg. 294. </ref>