Hot dogs have been an American favorite for more than a century, but the history of the hot dog — and their precursors, sausages — can be traced back over millenniums, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Foods similar to sausage, one of the oldest forms of processed food, were mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey in the 9th Century B.C., and have been served ever since. Chopped or ground meats stuffed in edible casings, which led to modern-day sausages, have also been part of German and Austrian food culture since at least the 1400s. Hot dog historians dispute whether they originated in Frankfurt, Germany, as “frankfurters” in the 1480s, or whether they came about when a butcher in Coburg, Germany, named Johann Georghehner created what he called “dachshunds,” or “little dogs,” in the late 1600s.

How sausages transformed into the all-American hot dog remains the fodder of legends. Popular hot dog lore indicates that the first sausages to be served on a bun originated in New York City in the 1860s, when a German immigrant sold them on rolls with sauerkraut. Other stories point to a German butcher named Charles Feltman, who in 1871 opened the first hot dog stand on Coney Island and began selling “dachshunds” on rolls. Over 20 years later in 1893, the Columbian Exposition attracted thousands of visitors to Chicago, where vendors sold large quantities of sausages to visitors. At the time, sausages became a popular food at baseball parks, which is credited to Chris Von de Ahe, a German immigrant who owned the St. Louis Browns baseball team.

How the term hot dog came about is in as much dispute as the food’s origin. Some people believe the hot dog name originated at the New York Polo grounds in the early 1900s, when vendors were selling “dachshunds” on a cold day while yelling, “Get your dachshund sausages while they’re red hot.” As the story goes, New York Journal cartoonist Tad Dorgan witnessed the scene and drew a cartoon of the “dachshunds” being sold in warm rolls. Unable to spell “dachshund,” Dorgan reportedly wrote “hot dog,” and the name stuck.

Some claim the name dates to Yale University in 1894, when students bought sausages from “dog wagons.”

Tom Pierce, vice president of marketing for Chicago-based Vienna Beef, said there are as many stories about how the hot dog originated as there are ways to enjoy them.

“There is a lot of folklore. Some claim they were created in New York, others claim they did it in St. Louis,” he added. “Sausages go back hundreds and hundreds of years. Our traditional American hot dog is thought to date back to the 1880s.”

The hot dog was an American classic during the early 1900s, gaining in popularity in places like Coney Island and Chicago. Pierce said the latter became the Mecca of hot dog manufacturing in the early 20th Century because of the large number of slaughterhouses and meat processing plants located in the city.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce designated July as National Hot Dog Month in 1957, and the food’s popularity continues to rise. Americans spent more than $1.7 billion on hot dogs in 2012.

Although New York, Chicago and St. Louis are credited with being the possible birthplaces of the hot dog, Los Angeles has a long history in the hot dog industry. Vienna Beef Ltd. formerly operated a hot dog manufacturing facility in the city of Vernon, which has been at the center of the local hot dog industry for years. According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, Hoffy and Farmer John are continuing the legacy, having operated manufacturing plants in Vernon for decades. Hoffy, a subsidiary of Square-H Brands Inc., has made franks at the site for more than 70 years. Farmer John opened in 1931, and is perhaps best known for its Dodger Dogs, served at Dodger Stadium since 1966.

Another well-known name in hot dogs — Wienerschnitzel — was founded in the Los Angeles area in 1961, and has grown to become the country’s largest hot dog chain with more than 350 stores. Los Angeles is the top hot dog consuming city in the United States, with more than 95 million eaten annually, according to the council.

The popularity of hot dogs is still apparent at stands like Pink’s Hot Dogs on La Brea Avenue, where people line up for their favorite version of the American classic. And as attitudes about healthy living continue to flourish, many hot dog manufacturers have begun marketing healthier versions of their hot dogs, such as franks made from chicken, turkey and lean beef.

Pierce said the hot dog industry will continue to evolve as times and attitudes change, and he doesn’t see them waning in popularity any time soon. So what’ll it be — sauerkraut, chili, onions, relish — or all of the above? Here’s to L.A. being top dog in the hot dog biz.