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MEMORIES:
retrophile remembers...I think all American kids love these things. Can't beat the great taste. Now they seem to deep fry everything. ... More »
Posted on 02/14/09
PHOTOS:
A pleasant advertising ditty lists baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie as three things that - in our patriotic estimation - are decidedly American. However, outside the United States, the corn dog is perhaps most associated with the red, white, and blue. In fact, in countries as distant as South Korea and New Zealand, a "hot dog" is actually a corn dog. Other countries, such as Japan, refer to corn dogs as amerikan doggu... "American dogs." And in a startling different but not inappropriate context, corn dogs go by the heavenly moniker "Golden Paradises" in the eastern United States.
What makes a corn dog so American? First there are the ingredients. The cherished hot dog, beloved of youngsters, symbols of summer simplicity, staples of state fairs, gas stations, baseball stadiums, and barbecues. Add to this a golden blanket of corn bread on the outside and you have a scrumptious piece of the heartland ready to be slathered in a condiment of your choosing.
But the ingredients alone aren't quite American enough to make this delicacy iconic. First of all, it's deep-fried. Secondly, consider that the corn dog isn't some kind of fork and knife meal like a steak, nor it is a finger food like ribs or hot wings. No, the plump corn dog sits on a stick. It has the hearty appeal of a meaty meal with the unique allure of carnival greats such as cotton candy and popsicles.
Two different state fairs claim to have invented and popularized the corn dog, respectively (Minnesota in 1941 and Texas in 1942), although some trivia buffs have dated it earlier (the Krusty Korn Dog baker purportedly appeared in the Albert Pick Barth Wholesale Catalog in 1929). In 1946, the Cozy Dog Drive In was the first establishment to serve corn dogs on a stick in Springfield, Illinois while the same trend caught on in Santa Monica, California at the more directly labeled Hot Dog on a Stick establishment. Today, National Corndog Day kicks off March Madness, the ultimate American sports tournament for underdogs.
Whether procured from a friendly food court or dished out during spring training, scarfed at a Super Bowl party or clutched on a Ferris wheel, corn dogs can be found almost anywhere. And while they may be underrated and under-appreciated; they remain loyal in their presence. What can be said? Culinarily speaking, corn dogs are a man's best friend.
