hot dog - ketchup vs. mustard. you decide!

Just about everything to do with hot dogs inspires debate. Beef, pork or blend? Grilled, steamed or boiled? Nathans, Sabrett, Hebrew National, Vienna Sausage or Oscar Mayer? Poppy seed, sesame seed or plain bun? Frank, red hot, wiener or dog? But one of the greatest controversies hotly debated across the seas and from coast to coast surrounds the various ways to dress up that delicious little sausage in a bun known as the hot dog. While some folks love their dogs with ketchup others (especially in Chicago) consider mustard to be the appropriate topping. It seems every state has its own state dog, dressed in accordance with popular fashion. We'll explore the ins and outs of the debate and then ask you to decide.

Many claim to have invented the hot dog, but the claims are difficult to judge. The original frankfurter comes from Frankfurt, Germany where pork sausages were served in a bun in similar fashion to the present day hot dog. Wiener refers to Vienna, Austria (known as "Wien") where a sausage made of a pork and beef blend was served. But around 1879 on Coney Island in New York, Charles Feltman a German immigrant began selling sausages in rolls, and to this day Coney Island and hot dogs have a beautiful history together. In fact, every year on the Fourth of July, Nathan's Famous brand of hot dog sponsors a competitive eating contest. The recent winner consumed 54 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes before over 40,000 spectators and broadcast on television.

The earliest usage of the term "hot dog" in clear reference to sausage by Barry Popik appeared in the September 28 1893 Knoxville Journal: It was so cool last night that the appearance of overcoats was common, and stoves and grates were again brought into comfortable use. Even the weinerwurst men began preparing to get the "hot dogs" ready for sale Saturday night. Hot dogs have preparations that range from meat byproducts to pork to beef to turkey to bison to blends, include various seasonings in the meat and have natural casings, which produce a "snap" when bitten or are skinless.

The world's longest hot dog was 60 meters long (196.85 feet), resting on a 60.3 meter bun, prepared for a Japanese company. The world's most expensive hot dog was prepared by Joe Calderone for Trudy Trant and feature truffle oil, duck foie gras and truffle butter for a cost of $69. Hot dogs sell throughout the world, with the world also weighing in on how best to serve it. Well-known Oscar Mayer (so named for its German immigrant founder) has arguably one of the most famous vehicles in the world - the Wienermobile.

Now, depending upon where you live or where you grew up, you may have a loyalty to specific hot dog preparations. Here are just a sampling of ways we love to dress up our dogs. The wild west loves its chili-cheese-onion dogs. Arizona is home to the Sonora dog, which takes a hot dog, wraps it in Mesquite-smoked bacon, topped with chopped tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, salsa, pinto beans, mayonnaise, ketchup and/or mustard and served on bread with fresh roasted chili. California often uses Hebrew National as the dog of choice or Farmer John Dodger Dog served at Dodger Stadium (baseball and hot dogs are a natural pair). There's also the Original Oki Dog, which has two hot dogs on a flour tortilla, covered with chili and pastrami and wrapped like a burrito.

Illinois, especially folks in Chicago are lovers of the home grown Vienna Sausage all beef dogs and have elevated the Chicago-style dog to haute cuisine. A steamed all-beef, natural-casing dog topped with chopped onions, fresh tomato wedges, dill pickle spear, cucumber slices, neon green sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, pickled sport peppers and celery salt on a steamed poppy seed bun. While the toppings may have some variations, Chicago-style dogs NEVER include ketchup. Hence this is one of the places where the ketchup vs. mustard debate takes on particular significance.

Now, seriously, who wants to go out and get a hot dog? Please cast your vote in our poll and comment on this article as to whether you believe ketchup or mustard reigns supreme! Upcoming debates...thin crust vs. thick crust, French fries vs. potato chips, chocolate vs. vanilla ice cream....excuse, please. Gotta go grab a bite!

Kansas and Missouri share the Kansas City hot dog, which includes sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese while Maine honors the dog with a natural casing colored red and commonly referred to as red hot dogs or red snappers. As with pizza, baseball teams and skylines, New York lays claim to its own hot dog supremacy. Sabrett's and Nathan's are the most common dog providers for many of the carts around town as well as many of the delicatessens. The usual condiments are mustard and sauerkraut, with optional sweet onions in a tomato based sauce that can be found on just about every street corner. New Jersey across the river from New York offers its own take called the potato dog, which includes stewed potatoes combined with brown mustard served on a spicy hot dog.

Now, dogs are also popular outside the states as well. In Japan they are used in bento boxes and often sliced to resemble an octopus. In New Zealand, the dog is often battered on a stick (a bun version can be had and is called an "American hot dog." The Taiwanese eat hot dogs on a sticky rice bun or without a bun on a stick.

And don't forget the other variations of hot dogs readily available many places, such as the county fair corn dog, a dog battered with a crunchy-sweet cornmeal batter, deep fried and served on a stick. Or, the deep fried hot dog, cooked in a vat of boiling oil. Or the bagel dogs, pizza dogs, and hot dog roll ups (wrapped in a crescent roll and baked with melted cheese).

We're not sure that this issue can be left to continue causing division among the ranks of hot dog eaters around the world. And so, we ask you, to please stand up for yourself. Which do you prefer...ketchup or mustard? You decide!

Yes, the world is full of controversy. But this is one that we feel must be shared and savored and debated and discussed. In a world so divided can't we all just get along?

Now, seriously, who wants to go out and get a hot dog? Please cast your vote in our poll and comment on this article as to whether you believe ketchup or mustard reigns supreme! Upcoming debates...thin crust vs. thick crust, French fries vs. potato chips, chocolate vs. vanilla ice cream....excuse, please. Gotta go grab a bite!