Download
Celebrating 100th anniversary of hot dog selling in Denmark
By Li Qiong
03:05

Hog dogs are an important food in western culture, with a history of more than a century.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of hot dog selling in Denmark. To celebrate, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in China replicated the original vending scene for the guests on April 15, with the wagon delivered from Denmark.

Hot dogs are easy to make, as Minister Counsellor Marie Louise Flach de Neergaard shows the audience, but the condiments vary from place to place.

"Now comes the really tricky one. This sauce is homemade by our ambassador's chef. Because we couldn't get it here in China, she has to make it herself. It tastes really nice," she said.

Replicating the Danish vending scene at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark, Beijing, China, April 15, 2021. /CGTN

Replicating the Danish vending scene at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark, Beijing, China, April 15, 2021. /CGTN

The hot dog has gained a large fan base ever since it was sold on Danish streets 100 years ago.

Concerns over the indecency of people eating sausages on the street were quickly overridden by the convenience of fast food.

Fast forward to today, 130 vans distribute 100 million sausages per year to the sausage-savoring Danes. And innovations have taken place to add diversity.

A food maker is making hot dog at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark, Beijing, China, April 15, 2021. /CGTN

A food maker is making hot dog at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark, Beijing, China, April 15, 2021. /CGTN

"There was an innovation some thirty years ago when we had what we call French hot dogs," said Ms. Marie Louise. "It's a bread with a hole in it where you put a different kind of dressing, and then the sausage in it. That's innovation. And now some of them sell vegetarian sausages and organic sausages. The normal ones are good, but the organic ones are really good."

There are several theories of the origin of hot dogs. A widely accepted one is that Germans invented them and introduced them to America as they immigrated in the 19th century.

With such a long history, hot dogs are now among the world's most well-known and popular foods. 

Search Trends