While the jury’s still out on knowing exactly who invented the corn dog, one thing is certain: It’s about as American as food items get. Cornmeal was a staple of the Native American diet, and hot dogs are an American adaptation of a German classic.
The marriage of these ingredients led to the creation of an item that dominated a fair share of 20th-century grab-and-go food sales, and in the process, became a cultural icon. On March 15, we celebrate the corn dog’s iconic status with National Corn Dog Day!
- 1920 – The first production of corn dogs happened at a 1920 Basketball game in Adel, Iowa, when the local vendor ran out of hot dog buns. Roger Newman (the vendor) took the remaining hot dogs and coated them with a cornmeal batter, which was deep-fried and taken back to the game (without sticks). It was an instant hit.
- 1927 – Stanley S. Jenkins holds the patent for a machine that would fry battered foods on sticks. Despite the patent approval in ’29, Jenkins disappeared into obscurity.
- 1929 – The Krusty Korn Dog machine is featured in the Albert Pick-L. Barth catalog of hotel supplies.
- 1930s – Oregon “Pronto Pup” — George Boyington and his wife dipped their dogs in batter during a rainy weekend full of soggy hot dog buns.
- They trademarked their Pronto Pups in 1942 and are still sold both at Rockaway Beach, Ore., where they were created, at state fairs and sold frozen in stores and online nationwide.
- 1941 – Pronto Pups of the Minnesota State Fair also claims to have invented the corn dog in 1941. Today, the corn dog’s original inventor remains one of the world’s most heated food debates.
- 1942 – The Fletcher brothers debuted their “Corny Dogs” at the Texas State Fair. They still call themselves “the original corny dog.”
- 1946 – Illinois-based Cozy Dog Drive-In, which claims to be the first to sell corn dogs on a stick, opens its doors.
- 1992 – Brady Sahnow and Henry Otley created the observance in 1992 in honor of the saving grace of corn dogs and the March Madness that is basketball.
- 2015 – Monogram sold enough King Cotton hot dogs to equal the weight of 108 African elephants!
- German Texans found that their sausages were not well received. Because of this, they decided to be innovative, dipping the sausages in a distinctly American breading (cornbread) and frying them.
- The Texas State Fair sells 630,000 corn dogs per season (which is only 24 days). That’s 600,000 pounds of wieners, 25 tons of cornmeal mix, 21,000 pounds of oil, 1,500 gallons of mustard and 800 gallons of Ketchup.
- Corn dogs are not just an American staple.
- Argentina calls corn dogs “panchukers” and enjoys them with cheese.
- Australians will often use a white or wheat-based batter on their dogs known as “Dagwood dogs, Pluto pups or dippy dogs” depending on the region.
- New Zealand, South Korea and Japan are also known to enjoy this American indulgence.
- In Canada, a battered hot dog on a stick is called a “pogo” and is traditionally eaten with ordinary, yellow mustard, sometimes referred to as “ballpark mustard”. It is named after the trademarked name of Conagra inc. frozen product available in all of the country since the 1960s but whose main market is the province of Quebec.
- Outside of Auckland, a New Zealand Hot Dog is invariably a deep-fried battered sausage on a stick that is dipped in tomato ketchup.
- In Japan, the equivalent food is usually called an “American Dog” based on the idea of where the food is believed to originate. It is also called “French Dog” in certain parts of Japan including Hokkaido.
- In South Korea, a corn dog is one of the most popular street foods. A corn dog is usually called a “hot dog” in the Korean language (핫도그), creating confusion with a genuine hot dog. A French fry-encrusted corn dog, or “Kogo,” has especially attracted the attention of Western visitors, including vegans (using vegan hot dogs).
- Corn dogs, mini corn dogs and pancake & sausage on a stick are produced at Monogram’s plant in Bristol, IN which cranks out over 1.1 million corn dogs per day! That’s 78 million pounds a year.
- Monogram also makes 2.9 million mini corn dogs a day.
Sources:
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
