Food - Drink
14 Facts You Should Know About Chicago-Style Hot Dogs
By DANI ZOELLER
Ditch The Ketchup
Chicago-style hot dogs are known for being loaded with toppings including mustard, onion, relish, tomato, pickles, and celery salt, but noticably absent is ketchup.
This isn’t just a matter of personal preference. Adding ketchup to a Chicago-style hot dog is a serious faux pas, as it’s considered too sweet for the salty, savory meal.
Load Up the Veggies
It’s likely you won’t even miss ketchup when eating a Chicago-style hot dog, since it’s loaded with pickles, tomatoes, mustard, bright green relish, and sport peppers.
These toppings not only give Chicago-style hot dogs their distinctive flavor, but they also add a range of textures, making for a satisfying, albeit messy, meal.
Vienna Beef’s Chicago Debut
The Vienna Beef hot dog first debuted in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair, where the hot dogs were served with mustard and onions in a precursor to the classic Chicago dog.
Vienna Beef sausages remain the most common hot dogs sold in Chicago, with 90% of hot dog stands using the sausages in their recipes.
Great Depression Origins
Hot dogs were popular prior to the Great Depression, but they became the meal we know and love in the ‘30s, combining protein, carbs, and veggies into one package.
Best Hot Dog Stands
If you’re searching for a great Chicago-style hot dog, one of the best factors to look for is whether you can purchase the hot dog on its own, without sides and a drink.
Although this might seem like a minor detail, it speaks to the quality and authenticity of the hot dog, since you’ll get the combination of flavors and textures without any distractions.