11 | Dec | 09

Richard Johnson

Frank-ly Speaking

Have a look at it — my first hot dog of the season. Well, frankfurter if you want to be picky. The Frankfurt Butcher’s Guild first introduced spiced and smoked sausages, packed in thin casings, back in the 1850s. They had a slightly curved shape (supposedly due to a butcher who owned a dachshund), which is why they were also known as “dachshund sausages”. They caught on big time in the USA, where Harry Stevens sold them with a cry of “Get your red-hot dachshund sausages!” He soon shortened it (well, wouldn’t you?) to “Get your hot dogs!”. Harry would not have been impressed with my frankfurter. The bread was pappy, and the meat was underseasoned. I’ll just have to keep looking for something that does Harry proud. I want the best sausages the world has ever tasted to be sizzling in that Ludlow field in 2010…….