A corn dog (also spelled corndog) is a sausage (usually a hot dog) coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter on a stick.
History
Newly arrived German Texan sausage-makers, finding resistance to the sausages they used to make, have been credited with introducing the corn dog to the United States, though the serving stick came later. A US patent filed in 1927, granted in 1929, for a Combined Dipping, Cooking, and Article Holding Apparatus, describes corn dogs, among other fried food impaled on a stick; it reads in part:
I have discovered that articles of food such, for instance, as wieners, boiled ham, hard boiled eggs, cheese, sliced peaches, pineapples, bananas and like fruit, and cherries, dates, figs, strawberries, etc., when impaled on sticks and dipped in batter, which includes in its ingredients a self rising flour, and then deep fried in a vegetable oil at a temperature of about 390 °F [200 °C], the resultant food product on a stick for a handle is a clean, wholesome and tasty refreshment.
In 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles, author Linda Campbell Franklin states that a "Krusty Korn Dog" baker machine appeared in the 1929 Albert Pick-L. Barth wholesale catalog of hotel and restaurant supplies. The 'korn dogs' were baked in a corn batter and resembled ears of corn when cooked.
A number of current corn dog vendors claim responsibility for the invention and/or popularization of the corn dog. Carl and Neil Fletcher lay such a claim, having introduced their "Corny Dogs" at the Texas State Fair sometime between 1938 and 1942. The Pronto Pup vendors at the Minnesota State Fair claim to have invented the corn dog in 1941. Cozy Dog Drive-in, in Springfield, Illinois, claims to have been the first to serve corn dogs on sticks, on June 16, 1946. Also in 1946, Dave Barham opened the first location of Hot Dog on a Stick at Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, California.
Preparation
Corn dogs are often served as street food or as fast food. Some vendors or restaurateurs dip and fry their dogs just before serving. Corn dogs can also be found at almost any supermarket in North America as frozen food that can be heated and served. Some corn dog purveyors sell these premade frozen corn dogs which have been thawed and then fried again or browned in an oven. Premade frozen corn dogs can also be heated in a microwave oven, but the cornbread coating will lack texture.
Variations
A variation is prepared with either melted cheese between the hot dog and the breading or the hot dog is replaced with a cheese-filled hot dog.
Another version is the "cornbrat" (or "corn brat"), which is a corn dog made with bratwurst instead of a wiener or hot dog. They are also sold in varieties of different hot dogs such as pork and turkey.
Small corn dogs, known as "corn puppies", "mini corn dogs" or "corn dog nuggets", are a variation served in some restaurants, generally on the children's menu or at fast food establishments. A serving includes multiple pieces, usually 10. In contrast to their larger counterparts, corn puppies are normally served stickless as finger food.
A breakfast version features a breakfast sausage in place of the hot dog, and pancake batter in place of the cornmeal. This variation is commonly called a "pancake on a stick". It was formerly served by drive-in restaurant Sonic but now is made by companies such as Jimmy Dean.
Both vegetarian corn dogs and corn dog nuggets are made as meatless alternatives by many of the same companies that produce vegetarian hot dogs.
By country
Argentina
In Argentina a panchuker, (also panchuque, pancho chino), is a hot snack that can be bought near some train stations and in some places of heavy pedestrian transit. They are more popular in the inner country cities. A panchuker consists of a sausage covered with a waffle-like pastry, and has a stick in it (like a corn dog) so that it can be easily consumed. Some versions contain cheese, and sauces may be served to accompany them. Some variations may be found in Uruguay and other South American countries. Generally, panchuckers are offered as a low-price fast food and can only be seen at certain provinces of the inner country, like La Plata, Belgrano, Villa Albertina, Cipoletti, and in Buenos Aires they can be found in Barrio Chino. They are particularly popular in the province of Tucumán.
Australia
In Australia, a hot dog sausage on a stick, deep fried in batter, is known as a Dagwood Dog, Pluto Pup, or Dippy Dog, depending on region. Variants exist that use wheat-based or corn-based batters. These are not to be confused with the British and Australian battered sav, a saveloy deep fried in a wheat-flour-based batter, as used for fish and chips, which generally does not contain cornmeal.
Canada
In Quebec, 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.
Annual celebration
National Corndog Day is a celebration of the corn dog, tater tots, and American beer that occurs on the first Saturday of March Madness (NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship) of every year.
Gallery
See also
References
