Photo via Flickr user Örlygur Hnefill
This article originally appeared on MUNCHIES.
One of the great debates surrounding the hot dog is whether or not it is a sandwich. Obviously, it is not—yet that debate rages on. Another great topic of contention is what actually goes inside hot dogs: buffalo meat? Human DNA?
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That’s the beauty of hot dogs. For whatever reason, most people are more than happy to block on that little voice asking where is this meat matter coming from? because, hey: Hot dogs taste really good.
But as far as we know, there are no recent cases of actual dog being found inside a hot dog. And yet, the frankfurter’s association with canines has lead to yet another controversy surrounding everybody’s favorite tubular food.
Religious authorities in Malaysia ruled this week that hot dogs can no longer be called “hot dogs”—because actual dogs are “unclean.” According to AFP, the issue was brought up by Muslim tourists visiting the country who were confused by literal meaning of the term.
“Any halal products that make consumers confused, we have to change,” Sirajuddin Suhaimee, director of the halal division of the Department of Islamic Development, reportedly said. “In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification.”
Malaysia has a population of about 20 million, with more than half adhering to Islam. As a result, the Department of Islamic Development has ruled that the confusing name has got to go. It also means that restaurants will have to scramble to find new names for chili dogs and cheese-dogs as well.
But Malaysia is also a country that loves its wieners, with many local vendors and foreign restaurant chains offering “halal dogs”—as long as they renew their halal certification with the Department of Islamic Development every two years.
In case you’ve ever wondered why hot dogs are called hot dogs in the first place: It turns out that some hot dogs were suspected to contain dog and horse meat even back in the 19th century, meaning that people have been blissfully ignoring the contents of tubed meat for a very long time.
All of this begs the question of what the new name for hot dogs will now in Malaysia. Hot cow pulp? Weiner in bread?
Like the other mysteries of the hot dog, this remains to be seen.
