Coney Island hot dog

Origin

The development of Coney Island hot dog variations is attributed to European immigrants in the early 1900s, many fleeing the Balkan Wars and entering the United States through Ellis Island in New York City. Family stories about the dish's creation often include visits to nearby Coney Island. The origin is somewhat unclear, with parallel developments occurring in New York, Michigan, Ohio, and other areas with concentrations of Balkan immigrants. The name "Coney" likely derives from the positive publicity generated by Nathan's, the iconic brand started by Polish Jewish immigrant Nathan Handwerker, who sold hot dogs at a stand in Coney Island, Brooklyn. The island's name itself comes from the Dutch "Conyne Eylandt" (Rabbit Island), later anglicized to Coney Island.

Regional and local varieties

Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island Wiener Stand, opened in 1914 by Greek immigrants Harry Dorikis, James Samaras, and Stilos Papas, serves a small, fatty pink hot dog with a peppery sweet sauce on a soft bun. The ground beef-based sauce has the flavor and consistency of a mild peppered savory pork sausage; the hot dog is grilled on a flattop, placed in a steamed bun, and topped with yellow mustard, chili sauce, and chopped white onion. In Michigan, the Coney Island is a natural-casing beef or beef and pork Vienna sausage topped with a beef heart-based sauce, yellow mustard, and diced onions.

This variety is a fixture in Flint, Detroit, Jackson, Kalamazoo, and southeastern Michigan. Competing claims for its origin include American and Lafayette Coney Islands (1917) in Detroit and Todoroff's Original Coney Island (1914) in Jackson. The longest continuously operated Coney Island in the same location is in Kalamazoo (1915).