Hot dogs are no light issue, and conflicts have been known to arise regarding what constitutes a ‘real’ hot dog.
The essential parts of the hot dog are not in dispute - a frankfurter sausage and a sliced bun to place it in. It’s what goes on the dog that causes all the trouble and discord. The garnishing and condiments that top up hot dogs vary greatly according to personal style and regional tradition.
This map, hailing from West Virginia Hot Dog Association’s website, displays that While the vast majority of West Virginians prefer hot dogs topped with coleslaw, it is not a standard topping at hot dog joints everywhere in West Virginia. The food culture of our state is diverse and influenced by many factors such as predominate ethnicities and a melding with cultures of surrounding states.This mapping project attempts to document this diversity.
All of the counties shaded in light green have been verified to have HDJs that include slaw as a topping on a hot dog with "everything". Light beige indicate counties where HDJs usually offer slaw, but usually by request only. In dark beige counties you can usually get slaw, but some HDJs may not offer it. Orange indicates counties where slaw is almost never available in mainstream HDJs. Finally, in those counties shaded red, slaw is unheard of. The data from several counties is unconfirmed and we welcome your input if you have specific knowledge that is in conflict with what is presented here. Please email us at
A few preferred styles elsewhere in the country are:
New York: hot dogs topped with steamed onions and a pale, deli-style mustard
Chicago: smothered in yellow mustard, dark green relish, chopped raw onion and tomato slices, sprinkled with celery salt
Kansas City: topped with sauerkraut and melted cheese
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