NYC Icons: The Hot Dog
An edible history of one of New York's most iconic foods.
This post is part of the New York City Icons series. In the coming months, I’ll be diving into the history of various iconic New York City foods and drinks, in addition to regular Edible History content.
There isn’t anywhere else in the five boroughs quite like Coney Island.
The peninsular Brooklyn neighborhood is perhaps most famous for its boardwalk – which to me is peak Americana kitsch. Here, between the Atlantic Ocean and the F train, you can find a ferris wheel, rickety wooden roller coasters, and all sorts of amusement park rides. Dotted between dive bars selling frozen margaritas, are carnival booths offering games like Water Racer and Goblet Toss. There are food stands selling hamburgers, fried clams, funnel cake, knishes, and of course, hot dogs. The most iconic food of Coney Island.
In recent years, hot dogs have gotten something of a bad rap. In 2021, some researchers at the University of Michigan declared that eating one single hot dog can take 36 minutes off your life (I do not suggest attempting the macabre math relating to your longevity and cumulative hot dog consumption). Despite this study, people have continued to eat hot dogs. And perhaps it is worth noting that the late actress Betty White (who died at 99) partially credited her long life to hot dogs. Seriously.
But back to this week’s New York City icon. How did hot dogs become so synonymous with our town, and with Coney Island specifically?
There are quite a few supposed inventors of the hot dog. But the generally accepted origin story, is that the hot dog arrived in the U.S. in the late 19th century with immigrants from Germany and other parts of eastern Europe. One such immigrant was a man named Charles Feltman, who arrived in New York in 1856 when he was just fifteen years old. A decade into his American life, he was operating a pushcart on the Coney Island boardwalk – where he sold pies and sausages in buns. By 1871, he was building a restaurant complex – one with several restaurants, bars, a beer garden and a carousel.
Fetlman’s was incredibly popular, serving millions of customers each year. In the 1910s, a Polish immigrant, Nathan Handwerker, found work as a role slicer at Feltman’s. Observant, fiscally savvy, and clearly ambitious, Handwerker ended up opening his own eponymous Coney Island eatery in 1916 – Nathan’s – where he undercut his former employer’s ten cent hot dogs, by charging only five cents a dog.
Nathan’s and Feltman’s weren’t the only places to get hot dogs in Coney Island. There were others (and still are) but somehow Nathan’s has become the de facto hot dog spot, now officially known as Nathan’s Famous (but colloquially still just Nathan’s).
The Handwerker family sold the chain in 1987, and the restaurant was franchised. Hundreds of Nathan’s emerged all over the country. From Nevada to Florida, Americans could bite into a taste of Coney Island, wherever they were. There was even a Nathan’s inside 2 World Trade Center, which was of course was destroyed on 9/11. The resulting war in Afghanistan saw the opening of a Nathan’s at Kandahar International Airport. What a strange and unlikely comestible diplomat in America’s war on terror.
In 1909 when Sigmund Freud visited the United States he apparently said, “The only thing about America that interests me is Coney Island.” If only Freud could have lived to see the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. And last summer’s presenter, who gave one hell of a rabble rousing speech as he introduced reigning hot dog eating champion, Joey Chestnut. He declared, that Chestnut participates in this annual gorge not for fame, or money, but “for his people, for his country – he does it for FREEDOM!” (Give it a watch and join me in befuddled amusement at the myriad of ways American “values” are utilized).
Last weekend I found myself on a sunny Saturday strolling the boardwalk of Coney Island. It was one of those first warm spring weekends that reminds you of all summer has to bring. The boardwalk was busy with folks eating, drinking and bravely giving Luna Park roller coasters a whirl (I didn’t see a single soul attempt the Cyclone. The planks of wood holding that thing together could be described as ‘weathered’ at best).
Of course, a trip to Nathan’s was in order. The original location still stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues. We ordered two plain hot dogs and slathered them in ketchup and mustard. There is no denying it – it’s a damn good hot dog. The bun is lightly toasted. When you bite into the dog, the casing gives a satisfying snap. It also has a unique flavor, which comes from the original spice blend that Nathan’s wife Ida concocted over a century ago, and is still used today. The spice blend is, of course, a secret.
We sat at a white wooden picnic table in the March sun. An older French couple (definitely tourists) shared the table with us. They were also eating hot dogs and soaking in the vitamin D. The woman said to her husband, as she chewed and looked around the boardwalk, “Quand tu manges ça, tu es vraiment ici.” Translation, “When you eat this, you are really here.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Edible History is a reader supported newsletter. To support my work and to gain access to the full archive of posts (each month paid subscribers receive additional edible histories and recipes in their inbox) consider upgrading to become a paid subscriber.
Hi. Great article. I have to tell you a funny story. I was on an overnight layover in Frankfurt (Germany) and asked a taxi driver to take me to a good traditional restaurant. The restaurant had these long tables that one stepped over (I felt like I was back at school or university!) and one sat with others. All great. I was next to some locals who said I had to try the local specialty: a special all-beef sausage. No, it’s only from here; I wouldn’t have ever had any where else. I was game! It was a FRANKFURTER 🌭! Omg, I laughed and laughed. Most expensive hot dog I’ve ever had — probably the best too!