Frankfurters Vs Wieners Vs Hot Dogs: What's The Difference?

Meat in tube form: A foodstuff with widespread appeal that's easy to understand. Whether you're chowing down on one of America's regional hot dog styles, crafting a Korean army stew, or cooking up some breakfast links, this protein vessel appears in many contexts. Subsequently, it comes as no surprise the dish also comes with shifting names. A particularly confusing trio are Frankfurters, wieners, and hot dogs. Although you might think of them as interchangeable meats designed to be served on a bun, there is nuance to each term. Dig into the details, and the names refer to specific regional associations formed over decades of culinary tradition.

Frankfurters interlink with tubed sausages of German preparation, which come with a designated assembly of ingredients. Meanwhile, wieners are a German-American name for a sausage of Vienna-style. Finally, hot dogs are a fully American creation, referring directly to the sausages served alongside bread. All three are not only beloved food favorites to certain groups, but also a showcase of the dish's global journey.

Say Frankfurter, and you're referring to a specific type of cured meat that hails from Frankfurt, Germany. Enjoyed in the region for centuries, the foodstuff comes with a protected geographic designation, reinforcing the sausage's importance to the German city. These links come in three styles, each with a designated mode of assembly.

Two are cured sausages made of only pork or beef. Such use of only one protein is a central distinction from hot dogs and wieners, which meld varying animal meats into one. The pork variety is called Frankfurter würstchen, and employs a lamb intestine casing. Seasonings are kept light-handed, with the smoking process instead flavoring the links. These sausages are traditionally prepared only via boiling, thus attaching further specificity. Meanwhile, beef Frankfurters are known as Frankfurter rindswurst. Also often smoked, this sausage type is known for its snappy texture and varying spices. Its cooking process is a bit more malleable, with broiling, grilling, and boiling all suitable preparations. Finally, there's the Frankfurter würstel. This foodstuff is identical to the wiener (and thus identical to Vienna sausages) and was originally called wienerwurst in German. Although the term is utilized in Frankurt, this cured meat is believed to have origins in Vienna. More malleable in composition and preparation, wieners are most distinguishable by their thin, long shape.

Start to investigate what differentiates a Frankfurter vs. a hot dog, and the lines get even blurrier. Essentially, "hot dog" is an all-American term, referencing both the sausage and the completed dish. As opposed to the more specific wiener and Frankfurter, a greater variety of long, cured links are included in this umbrella. In addition to the aforementioned meats, poultry proteins, such as turkey and chicken, are often included in the mix. The seasonings analogously run expansive: From garlic purée to smoke flavoring, cumin, and cinnamon.

Sometimes hot dogs are called franks because sausages of the German style end up between the buns. You might recognize the shorthand from Nathan's Famous Franks, an all-beef link made in the rindswurst style. The same kind of nuanced distinction applies to wieners, which are known for a softer composition and a less-noticeable casing as opposed to other hot dog types. Hot dogs have now embraced many variations, but Frankfurters and wieners remain major influences.