Corn dog
A corn dog is a hot dog coated in cornbread batter and deep fried in hot oil, although there are baked variations. Originally made without sticks, almost all corn dogs are now on sticks. Canadians call these pogos (see below). They are known in Australia as "battered savs", Dagwood dogs", "Pluto pups" or "dippy dogs". In Japan they are referred to as amerikan doggu ("American dogs"), and they are very popular. In South Korea, they are known as hotdogs and actual hotdogs are scarce.
The corn dog was popularized in 1942 at the Texas State Fair when it was introduced by Neil Fletcher, although the Pronto Pup vendors at the Minnesota State Fair claim to have invented the corn dog in 1941.
There is an article from the Port Arthur (Texas) News on newspaperarchive.com from 1940. The story is about the first corn dog (not on a stick) stand opening in Port Arthur. The article states that the "Debut of the corn dog came some time ago at the Louisiana state fair". Unfortunately, newspaperarchive.com is a pay site. Here is "corn+dogs"+AND+date:1940-10-29 the search link that yields this article.
The first corn dog on a stick was the "cozy dog," and it is still served in the "Cozy Dog Drive In" restaurant in Springfield, Illinois. In 1946, Ed Waldmire Jr. used a batter supplied by his friend Don Strand and used cocktail forks as sticks. He called his new hot dog a "crusty cur". However, Ed's wife Virginia is credited with naming them "cozy dogs" because she felt naming a food product "crusty" didn't sound very appealing. To go with the Cozy Dog name, the Waldmires created a logo of two cartoon hot dogs embracing (being 'cozy'). Later he patented a device that clipped the sticks and allowed multiple dogs to be dipped in batter and then in hot oil. The sticks which used to be made exclusively of oak in the early days are now made almost exclusively of pine wood.
Corn dogs are served as street food, as well as at malls, local delis, and gas stations. It is also sold at events such as state and county fairs, art festivals and Renaissance Fairs.
While some places dip and fry their dogs just before serving, other places use premade frozen corndogs that are thawed and then fried again or browned in an oven. Premade frozen corndogs can also be microwaved, but the corn bread coating will lack texture.
They are eaten plain or served with ketchup, mustard, relish, or mayonnaise.
"Pogo", mentioned above as the Canadian term, is a brand of corn dog; having become ubiquitous, the name transferred from the specific to the generic. (cf. Kleenex, Band-Aid, Aspirin)
In 1946, Dave Barham opened the first location of Hot Dog on a Stick at Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, California. It is the only chain restaurant to offer corn dogs as its main menu item. The company is currently 100% employee-owned (the only fast-food restaurant of which this is true) and operates 115 stores in 17 states, mostly in shopping malls. Franchises have been issued for several other nations, but all stores in the USA are company-owned. The restaurant is known for the multi-colored smocks and hats (first introduced in the 1960s) worn by the employees, who are mostly young women.
See also
External links
- National Corndog Day occurs on the first Saturday of March Madness each year.
- The Corndog Festival is an event in Dallas, Texas.
- Cozy Dog Drive In corn dog restaurant in Springfield, Illinois.