Corn dog  A corn dog (also spelled corndog) is a sausage (usually a hot dog) on a stick that has been coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter and deep fried. It originated in the United States and is commonly found in American cuisine. Recently arrived German Texan sausage-makers, finding resistance to the sausages they used to make, have been credited with introducing the corn dog to the United States, though the serving stick came later. A US patent filed in 1927, granted in 1929, for a "Combined Dipping, Cooking, and Article Holding Apparatus," describes corn dogs, among other fried food impaled on a stick; it reads in part: A "Krusty Korn Dog" baker machine appeared in the 1926 Albert Pick-L. Barth wholesale catalog of hotel and restaurant supplies. The 'korn dogs' were baked in a corn batter and resembled ears of corn when cooked. A number of current corn dog vendors claim responsibility for the invention and/or popularization of the corn dog. Carl and Neil Fletcher lay such a claim, having introduced their "Corny Dogs" at the State Fair of Texas 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, Illinois, claims to have been the first to serve corn dogs on sticks, on June 16, 1946. Also in 1946, Dave Barham opened the first location of Hot Dog on a Stick at Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, California. The earliest known preparation of corn dogs, however, was in 1937. During a high school baseball game in Adel, Iowa, ballpark vendors ran out of hot dog buns in the middle of the third inning. Roger Newman, a local tavern owner in attendance, took the remaining hot dogs and breaded them in a cornmeal batter he had prepared for an upcoming fish fry, and returned to the ballpark with them. Patrons used a variety of means to hold the corn dogs, including wax paper, paper cones, and even pocket knives. Corn dogs are often served as street food or as fast food. For the best and freshest preparation, some vendors or restaurateurs dip and fry their dogs just before serving. Some corn dog purveyors sell pre-made frozen corn dogs, which have been thawed and then fried again or browned in an oven. Corn dogs can also be found at almost any supermarket in North America as frozen food that can be heated and served.