The story
The sausage came from German-speaking Europe, where Frankfurt and Vienna both claim the frankfurter. Putting it in a bun is a more American story. Charles Feltman, a German immigrant pie seller, had a cart built in 1867 with a stove for boiling sausages and a box for fresh rolls, and wheeled it through the sand dunes of Coney Island. His business grew into a giant seaside restaurant, and his former employee Nathan Handwerker opened Nathan's Famous nearby in 1916. Rival tales credit Antoine Feuchtwanger in St. Louis, who supposedly swapped lent gloves for rolls, and Harry Stevens at New York's Polo Grounds in 1901.
Rival claims
St. Louis (Antoine Feuchtwanger, 1880s or the 1904 World's Fair); Harry Stevens at the Polo Grounds, also New York, 1901. The frankfurter sausage itself comes from Frankfurt/Vienna.
Also known as frankfurter, wiener, Coney Island hot dog, red hot.
On the Meridish menu
Hot dog was the street food course on menu No. 26 on October 26, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A sausage tucked into a soft bun. A German immigrant sold them from a cart at this seaside resort in 1867; a rival story credits a sausage seller in a Mississippi River city.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
