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Hot Dog Trivia

Delight Your Weiner Sensibilities

From Jennifer Roche, for About.com

Hot dog maker Vienna Beef is headquartered in Chicago.

© Jennifer Roche
Chicago, like most of America, loves its hot dogs. But, as you'll learn from this trivia sheet, we don't love them the most of all.

Learn trivia about hot dogs here that will amaze and astound you. You may find yourself reaching for the mustard before you know it.

Related: Vienna Beef Factory Store | Great Chicago Spots for a Hot Dog
  • Chicago's O'Hare International Airport consumes six times more hot dogs, 725,000 more than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined.

  • In 2007, consumers spent more than $4.1 billion on hot dogs and sausages -- the equivalent of more than 1.5 billion pounds -- in United States grocery stores.

  • Americans will eat enough hot dogs at major league ballparks this year to stretch from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to San Francisco's AT&T Park. That's more than 22 million dogs.

  • New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city, beating out Chicago and Los Angeles.

  • Use a spatula or tongs to cook your hot dog on the grill. They can lose moisture and tasty juices when pierced by a fork.

  • On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. over five times.

  • Here's how to say "hot dog" in other languages:

    Spanish - "Perrito Caliente"

    Italian - "Caldo Cane"

    French - "Chien Chaud"

    German - "Heisser Hund, or Wurst"

    Portugese - "Cachorro Quente"

    Swedish - "Korv or Varmkorv"

    Norweigan and Danish - "Grillpolser"

    Czech - "Park v Rohliku"

    Dutch - "Worstjes"

    Finnish - "Makkarat"

  • From Memorial Day to Labor Day every year, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs. That's 818 hot dogs consumed every second.

  • U.S. soldiers in military posts around the world consumed 2.4 million hot dogs in 2007.

  • The Vienna Beef hot dog was introduced at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Sources: National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, Vienna Beef Hot Dogs, Ball Park Brand Franks

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