The Small Pennsylvania City That's Considered The Hot Dog Capital Of The World

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New Castle, Pennsylvania may appear to be just a blip on a map — it's currently home to around 21,000 residents — but it's actually a thriving hotbed of culinary history that gave it the enduring nickname of the hot dog capital of the world. Who do we have to thank for this distinction? That would be the legions of Greek immigrants who lived in New Castle around the turn of the 20th century, bringing with them traditional Mediterranean flavors that they sought to marry with classic American fare. And what's more classically American than a hot dog?

Two such creative entrepreneurs were John Mitsos and George Papazekos, who opened Coney Island Lunch on West Washington Street in 1923. Here, they served their own twist on the Coney Island hot dog. The Coney has really gotten around the U.S. in its history, landing on the list of weird and wonderful American regional hot dogs twice, so it's unsurprising that it became very popular in New Castle. Mitsos and Papazekos were so successful over the next half-century that, in 1971, they opened a second location that they dubbed M&P Coney Island. This was the restaurant that put them (and New Castle) on the map, cementing the city's reputation for world-class glizzies and the M&P Coney Island name. Today, the Mitsos family still runs M&P Coney Island. It is not the only eatery in town serving up a spin on chili dogs, but it claims the crown for the most prominent.

The secret ingredient in West Virginia-style hot dogs is the chili condiment called "sauce," and New Castle franks share a similar whammy. The chili sauce on a Pennsylvania Coney dog is accented with "sweet" spices like cinnamon and cloves, a typical Greek combination seen in dishes such as pastitsio and moussaka. We've long been fans of the expert cooking tip to season your hot dogs, but seasoning the chili on them is a stroke of genius. The traditional baking spices add warmth and depth that is unexpected but very enjoyable. M&P sells its proprietary chili in stores local to New Castle, but you could probably get a passably similar product with Hormel Coney Island chili if you take the time to simmer it with spices. As a bonus, you can also ladle some of this sauce on a stack of shoestring fries with some shredded cheese and replicate M&P's chili-cheese fries.

Aside from hot dogs, New Castle has a completely separate claim to fame as the home of major fireworks manufacturers, including Zambelli Fireworks and Pyrotecnico. A town famous for weenies and sparklers was made for summer celebrations and, sure enough, one of the local pyrotechnics companies puts on a Fourth of July spectacle every year. We're willing to bet that's a prime time to try the local hot dogs, too. If you're in the neighborhood, head to New Castle and chow down while admiring the way that the American melting pot created a delicious addition to the culinary lexicon.