The Historic Reason Chicago Loves Hot Dogs

People love to visit The Windy City for a multitude of reasons, but hot dogs have to be one of Chicago's main draws. Chicago-style hot dogs are the stuff of legends, bucket lists, and countless discussions from city locals to food historians around the world. Originally called "red hots," Chicago-style hot dogs became a popular meal in the city during the Great Depression. As the mass meatpacking industry started life in the Chicago stockyards, it's no surprise that people were eating a ton of hot dogs (made from animal by-products) at that time. Turns out, hot dogs can tell you a lot about American culture, and Chicago in particular. 

Chicago's geographical location as a railroad hub connected to Midwestern farming regions set the city up as a place where cheap meat could be shipped, packaged, and sold. Low wages at the time also played a large role, along with immigration to the city. Immigrant workers and locals on brutal schedules helped Chicago meatpacking plants grow to the point where they were sending tons of cheap meat products — like hot dogs — to market and developing new culinary touchpoints as they went. The Chicago-style beef hotdog is one of the most famous examples of this.

One company that played a huge role in the invention of the Chicago-style hot dog is Vienna Beef. In fact, the company showcased the first hot dogs during the World's Columbian Exposition (a celebration of Christopher Colombus' expedition to America 400 years previously) in 1893, which was hosted in Chicago. This new meat product gained popularity throughout the city over the following decades, with the area's diverse immigrant communities adding their own regional touches and toppings to the famed frank-in-a-bun combo. As a result, the Chicago Dog became something of a map, telling us who came to Chicago and from where, with dill pickles added by German vendors, relish added by Italian hot dog sellers, and tomatoes and onions joining the party through Greek influence. 

These days, you'll usually find traditional Chicago-style hot dogs topped with a selection of all these unique regional garnishes including yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green relish, tomatoes, and a pickle spear but no ketchup. Foodies still flock to Chicago to get a taste of history through the famous hot dogs and, regardless of which restaurant is believed to serve the superior version (no doubt hot dog showdowns abound), this beloved recipe still holds up.