Most folks enjoy a good hot dog. July — designated National Hot Dog Month — is one of the best times of year to enjoy this simple frank and a bun meal.

Hot dogs are a large part of summer and American culture. Nearly every baseball park has hot dogs available to enjoy during games. Family cookouts almost always include hot dogs, and Chicago is famous for the city’s take on the delicacy. For those who love a good hot dog, there are seemingly endless reasons to enjoy this treat.

There are also hot dog eating contests, such as the famous “Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.”

According to Time Magazine’s website, this year’s contest makes the 104th edition of the Coney Island-based event.

“Every year on July 4, the hot dog brand Nathan’s Famous hosts a hot dog eating contest at their Coney Island home” states Time’s website. “In 10 minutes, the world’s top competitive eaters get to try to consume as many hot dogs as possible. Both men and women are invited to participate, although they have to first make the cut in regional pre-event qualifying rounds. Winners receive glory and the famed “Mustard Belt,” but also a monetary prize: first place gets $10,000, second place $5,000, and so on.”

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council website at http://www.hot-dog.org explains it is unclear where hot dogs actually originated, but sausage is one of the oldest processed foods — referenced as far back as Homer’s “Odyssey.” The original frankfurter is traditionally credited to Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, although that claim is disputed by some who believe a popular sausage known as a dachshund, or “little dog” sausage, was created by Coburg, Germany butcher Johann Georghehner in the late 1600’s.

However you like your dog, be it with mustard, chili, or other fixings (not ketchup), do not hesitate to indulge yourself during July in observance of National Hot Dog Month.