The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has finally declared that a hot dog is not a sandwich. The declaration was made in hopes of ending years of debate about the real classification of the food item.
"A hot dog is an exclamation of joy, a food, a verb describing one 'showing off' and even an emoji. It is truly a category unto its own," said the Hot Dog council, according to ABC News.
The council even ruled that hot dogs are of a higher level compared to sandwiches.
"Limiting the hot dog's significance by saying it's 'just a sandwich' is like calling the Dalai Lama 'just a guy.' Perhaps at one time its importance could be limited by forcing it into a larger sandwich category (no disrespect to Reubens and others), but that time has passed. We therefore choose to take a cue from a great performer and declare our namesake be a 'hot dog formerly known as a sandwich,'" said Janet Riley, the council's president, USA Today reported.
The hot dog was referred to as the "Coney Island sandwich" and "Frankfurter sandwich" in the 1800s. However, the council argues that terminology has evolved since then. It also looked to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's definition of a sandwich in reaching its decision.
"U.S. Department of Agriculture guidance also suggests the hot dog, as meat between bread, falls into the sandwich category, but the regulations paint a muddy picture as they hinge on the question of 'open' or 'closed' which could ignite a second round of debate where the hot dog on a bun is concerned," the council added, according to Newsweek.
