Corn Dog

The corn dog, or corny dog is a hot dog coated in cornbread batter and deep fried in hot oil, although some are baked. Almost all corn dogs are served on wooden sticks, though some early versions were stickless.

There is some debate as to the exact origins of the corn dog. An article in The New York Times made reference to "corn dog" stands as early as 1947. A number of current corn dog vendors lay claim that credit for the invention and/or popularization of the corn dog goes towards Carl and Neil Fletcher for when they introduced their "Corny Dogs" at the Texas State Fair sometime between 1938 and 1942. The Pronto Pup vendors at the Minnesota State Fair claim to have invented the corn dog in 1941. Cozy Dog Drive-in, in Springfield, IL, claims to have been the first to serve corn dogs on sticks, in 1946. Also in 1946, Dave Barham opened the first location of Hot Dog on a Stick at Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, California.

Regardless of the origins, there remains a regional naming difference: in Texas they are "corny dogs" and everywhere else "corn dogs".