The Pizza Dog

The American hot dog evolved from a German sausage staple brought by immigrants in the mid-19th century into a quintessential American street food by the 1900s, eventually spawning regional variations like the chili-topped "coney" and influencing international, battered, or "Korean-style" hybrids.
1. The Origins (1850s–1890s): From Sausage to "Hot Dog"
German Roots: German immigrants brought their sausage-making traditions to the US in the mid-1800s, bringing frankfurters (from Frankfurt) and wieners (from Vienna).
The Bun Innovation (1860s-1870s): German immigrant Charles Feltman is widely credited with selling the first hot dogs in a bun on Coney Island, New York, in 1867. He aimed to make them easy to eat on the beach, calling them "Coney Island Red Hots".
Naming the Dog: The term "hot dog" appeared in the 1890s, partly from slang referring to sausages containing dog meat, but popularized by the "dachshund sausage" (referring to the dog-shaped frankfurter).
Iconic Status: By 1893, hot dogs were popular at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and were firmly associated with baseball, particularly after Nathan Handwerker (a former employee of Feltman) opened his own, cheaper stand on Coney Island in 1916.
2. The Evolution to the Chili Dog (1910s–1940s)
The Coney Island Dog (Midwest): Around 1910–1920, Greek and Macedonian immigrants in the Midwest (specifically Detroit and Michigan) adapted their native recipes (like saltsa kima) into a meat-based sauce poured over hot dogs. They named their restaurants "Coney Island," creating the "Coney Dog" (chili, mustard, onions).
The Texas Wiener (New Jersey/PA): In 1918–1920, a Greek entrepreneur in New Jersey created the "Texas Hot Weiner," which featured a deep-fried hot dog topped with a spicy, Greek-inspired chili sauce.
The California Chili Dog (1930s-40s): In 1939, Art Elkind founded "Art's Famous Chili Dogs" in Los Angeles, which is often cited as the origin of the LA-style chili dog, later popularized by places like Pink's.
3. The Korean Hot Dog (Korean Corn Dog)
Origins in Korea: The "Korean hot dog" (or corn dog) emerged in South Korea, deeply influenced by the American military presence post-Korean War. It is not a direct, single-inventor product of the US, but an evolution of the corn dog concept, heavily adapting the batter and toppings.
The Transformation: Unlike the American version, the Korean hot dog uses a yeast-leavened dough or rice flour batter, making it crunchier, and often covers the sausage (or mozzarella cheese stick) in sugar, breadcrumbs, panko, or fried potato cubes.
Global Popularity: The style exploded in popularity in Korea around 2010 and subsequently gained massive, global recognition as a "street food" item, frequently featuring in Korean pop culture and traveling back to the US as a popular snack.
Summary of Key Differences in the Evolution
American Hot Dog: Sausage in a bun with mustard/relish.
Chili Dog: American Hot Dog + Spicy meat sauce + Onions/Cheese.
Korean Hot Dog: Sausage/Cheese + Sweet-savory, crunchy, battered exterior (often deep-fried), served on a stick.
A pizza dog is a fusion food that combines a hot dog with pizza toppings, typically a hot dog in a bun topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and herbs, then baked or broiled until melty, or wrapped in pizza dough for a more substantial snack. It's a popular comfort food, easy to make at home, and has even been featured by major chains like Domino's as a limited-time offer.
"Domino's Pizza Dog" refers to both a limited-time menu item—a hot dog wrapped in pizza dough and toppings in Australia/NZ—and "Domidog," a robot dog testing in the UK to protect pizzas from seagulls, showcasing future delivery tech. Both are recent (2024/2025) innovations, with the food product being a snack fusion and the robot a futuristic delivery solution.