Martha Stewart Follows This Strict Chicago Hot Dog Rule

Everything that goes on a Chicago dog creates layers of acidic, salty, and savory flavors, melding together with every bite to deliver a powerful explosion of taste. Martha Stewart is a particularly big fan of this recipe, but she has one strict rule when it comes to assembling them: no ketchup.

Stewart isn't alone. The National Hot Dog Council also enforces a strong stance on topping etiquette and has come out vehemently against the tomato-based condiment. On Chicago dogs, it's especially redundant. Not only do most versions include vinegary peppers, celery salt, and other toppings that replicate ketchup's flavor profile, but in Chicago, many vendors go a step further and add slices of tomato directly onto the bun.

According to Anthony Bourdain, the Chicago dog is the best hot dog style — and that's due in no small part to how every topping comes together to form a cohesive, delicious whole. While it may look like a chef simply emptied their fridge onto a bun, it's actually a carefully cultivated recipe, with each component serving a specific purpose and little room for substitution. Though it's rare to find a modern Chicagoan who prefers ketchup on their city's signature dog, a cultural history stretching back over a century explains why the condiment is widely shunned.

When European immigrants arrived in America in the late 19th century, they brought with them a deep love for sausages — one that later produced both well-known and obscure regional hot dog styles. However, the earliest predecessor of the Chicago dog featured only mustard and pickle.

In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, the so-called "Depression Sandwich" emerged, adding lettuce, tomato, relish, onions, and peppers to the bun. While affordable and filling, meat quality during that time was often questionable. Many vendors relied on ketchup's strong flavor to mask any undesirable notes in the frankfurter. This gave rise to a cultural association in Chicago: Ketchup became linked with low-quality meat.

To distance themselves from that perception, many Chicago hot dog sellers started advertising that they didn't carry ketchup as a way of ensuring customers that they sold only quality meat. The tradition has endured into the 2000s, with some vendors refusing to top hot dogs with ketchup for anyone but small children, who may not be as open to the bite of mustard. Compound that with the city's pride in its regional style and the belief that ketchup covers up too much of the natural (now great) flavor of the meat, and it becomes clear why so many people abhor the idea of ketchup on hot dogs.