Corn dog

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Corn Dog
Outside of a corn dog with stick showing
Origin Information
Alternate Names(s): American Dog
Country of Origin : United States
Creator(s) of the dish : Multiple claims
Dish Information
Serving Temperature : Hot
Main Ingredient(s) : hot dog
cornmeal batter
Variations : Multiple

The corn dog or corndog is a hot dog coated in cornmeal batter and deep fried in hot oil, although some are baked. Almost all corn dogs are served on wooden sticks, though some early versions were stickless.

Corn dogs are rarely served outside the United States, where they originated, and Canada.

Contents

[edit] History

There is some debate as to the exact origins of the corn dog. An article in The New York Times made reference to "corn dog" stands as early as 1941.[1] There is an article from the Port Arthur (Texas) News[2] from 1940 about the first corn dog (not on a stick) stand opening in Port Arthur. The 1991 book 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles by Linda Campbell Franklin states that a "Krusty Korn Dog baker" machine appeared in the 1929 Albert Pick Barth wholesale catalog of many makers' hotel and restaurant supplies.

A number of current corn dog vendors lay claim to the invention and/or popularization of the corn dog. Carl and Neil Fletcher 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.[3] Cozy Dog Drive-in, in Springfield, IL, claims to have been the first to serve corn dogs on sticks, in 1946.[4] Also in 1946, Dave Barham opened the first location of Hot Dog on a Stick at Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, California.

Food expert Sylvia Schur is also credited with inventing the "dog-on-a-stick".

[edit] Preparation

Corn dog (cross section)
Corn dog (cross section)

Corn dogs are often served as street food or as fast food. While some places dip and fry their dogs just before serving, other places use premade frozen corn dogs that are thawed and then fried again or browned in an oven. Premade frozen corn dogs can also be microwaved, but the corn bread coating will lack texture.

They are eaten plain or served with ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise.

They can also be found at almost any supermarket in North America as frozen food that can be heated, and served.

[edit] Sample batter recipe

Ingredients include cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, buttermilk, water, and eggs. For ordinary corn dogs, use a hotdog or weiner. To prepare cornbrats, use boiled wursts that are fully cooked; insert stick and coat each wurst by rolling it in the batter. Hold on to stick. Leftover batter may be kept a few days in the refrigerator.[5]

[edit] Variations

Both vegetarian corn dogs and corn dog nuggets are made as meatless alternatives by many of the same companies that produce veggie dogs.

A breakfast version of the corn dog consists of a breakfast sausage deep-fried in a pancake batter.

In Australia a hot dog sausage on a stick, deep fried in batter, is known as a Dagwood dog or 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 battered sav, a Saveloy deep fried in a wheat flour based batter, as used for fish and chips, which generally does not contain cornmeal. In New Zealand a similar battered sausage on a stick is called a "hot dog", whereas a "frankfurter" sausage in a long bun is refered to as an "american hot dog"

In Japan, they can be bought at many supermarkets and convenience stores but have the name American Dog (katakana:アメリカンドッグ).

In Canada, corn dogs are also known as a "Pogo Sticks".

Another version comes with either melted cheese in-between the hot dog and the breading or the hot dog is replaced with a cheese-filled hotdog.

Yet another version is the cornbrat (or corn brat), which is a corn dog made with bratwurst instead of a weiner or hot dog.[6][7][8][9]

Hot dogs can also so be covered in potato and fried and served on a stick like a corn dog. In effect, the cornbread component is replaced with hash brown.[citation needed]

Small corn dogs, known as corn puppies, are a variation served in some restaurants, including Buffalo Wild Wings. A serving includes multiple pieces, usually 10.

[edit] Holiday

The corn dog is the only meat on a stick that has its own holiday.[citation needed] National Corndog Day is a celebration of basketball, the corn dog, tater tots, and American beer that occurs in March of every year on the first Saturday of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. By 2007, parties celebrating National Corndog Day occurred at 113 locations in more than 30 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Australia.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ History of Corn Dogs
  2. ^ on newspaperarchive.com
  3. ^ Schlueter, Roger. "Deep-fried Coke sounds ... interesting", Belleville News-Democrat, Ill., September 10, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-20. (English) 
  4. ^ Cozy Dog Drive In
  5. ^ "Corn dog batter," cooks.com, (2003), found at Cooks.com web site. Accessed November 25, 2007.
  6. ^ Big Foot Lodge web site menu page. PDF file. Accessed December 12, 2007.
  7. ^ Lindsay Sonsky, Big Foot Lodge in step to make footprints, Memphis Downtown Appeal, found at[1]. PDF file. Accessed December 12, 2007.
  8. ^ Walworth Corn-Brat Festival notice, found at Lakes Area Rotary Club of Wisconsin web site. Accessed December 12, 2007.
  9. ^ Memphis Travel web site. Accessed December 12, 2007.

[edit] External links