During Hot Dog Season – from Memorial Day to Labor Day – Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs. That’s 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period! And New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than people in any other city. Find out about the history of hot dogs, how they’re made, and the many different varieties.

Bob Bly is the author of All-American Frank: A History of the Hot Dog. Bruce Kraig is founding President of Culinary Historians of Chicago and Professor Emeritus at Roosevelt University, Chicago.

Weigh in: What’s your favorite place in New York to get a hot dog? What's the most interesting hot dog variation you've eaten?