Chili, mustard, onions. Say this ingredient trio without context, and like a call and response, the Detroiters in the room will reply with a resounding chant: “Coney!”
The coney dog, Detroit’s signature hot dog and arguably the city’s national dish, is set apart from the classic American hot dog by those distinguishing toppings. The dog is ladled with rich beef chili, mildly flavored with notes of cumin and garlic, sprinkled with crisp, diced white onions and finished with a scribble of pungent yellow mustard.
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we’re reflecting on the dishes that typify American culture. Hot dogs, we’ve found, are undeniably the quintessential, all-American food.
Hot dogs were “invented” in the U.S. when German sausages were served in buns. They’re a staple of baseball games, the all-American pastime — what would a Tigers game be without a hot dog? And they are truly democratic: nearly anyone can afford to enjoy them.
But even more, hot dogs are American because of their adaptability, reflecting the ingenuity and diversity that gives our country such a rich culinary tapestry.
The coney was brought to Detroit in the early 1900s by way of Greek migrants who passed through Coney Island, a historic neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, best known for its amusement park of the same name. It’s a manifestation of the American dream, founded by immigrants influenced by the touchpoints along the journey to Michigan, their chosen home in this country.
Regional hot dog toppings — from the chili, mustard and onion trio on the coney to celery salt on the Chicago dog to jalapenos on the Sonoran hot dog in the Southwest — tell distinct stories of place.
Learn more about the coney’s contribution to the United States of hot dogs.
What is a coney dog?
According to the Detroit Historical Society, though the Greek immigrants who developed the recipe for the coney assumed the name of Brooklyn’s Coney Island, the coney is vastly different from the simple franks in buns sold at the amusement park. Detroit coneys start with a beef dog in a natural skin casing tucked into a soft, steamed bun. That cumin-flavored chili is distinct, made with fine ground beef. Some recipes tout a blend that includes beef heart, the offal offering a mealy texture — and by now, you know the ingredients that follow. No coney is complete without mustard and onions.
Where did the coney come from?
The first Coney Island restaurant, the no-frills, diner-style eateries where coneys are now served throughout metro Detroit, was Todoroff’s Original Coney Island in Jackson, Michigan. Macedonian immigrant George Todoroff opened the restaurant in 1914, and pioneered the hot dog variety we know today. More than a century later, Joe Grimm, co-author of the book “Coney Detroit,” wrote that metro Detroit was home to about 500 Coney Islands.
3 Classic restaurants to try a coney dog.
American Coney Island
Just three years after the opening of Todoroff’s, Constantine “Gust” Keros brought the first Coney Island to Detroit. American Coney Island would become a hotspot for coney dogs in downtown Detroit and has remained as such in the same location operated by the Keros family for just shy of 100 years. The Keros family would later open Kerby’s Koney Island, which has grown to include 15 locations across Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, and family cousins would open Leo’s Coney Island, now with dozens of locations throughout the state. Details: 114 W. Lafayette, Detroit. 313-961-7758, americanconeyisland.com.
Lafayette Coney Island
Also in the Keros family tree is Lafayette Coney Island. Lore has it that William “Bill” Keros operated American Coney Island alongside his brother, Gust, until a dispute led them to part ways. Bill would eventually open Lafayette Coney Island right next door, leaving customers to fuel a familial rivalry and debate over which location slings the better coney. The debate lives on to date. Details: 118 W. Lafayette, Detroit. 313-964-8198, lafayetteconeyisland.club.
National Coney Island
Another family-run chain, National Coney Island opened the doors of its first location at Macomb Mall in Roseville in 1965. The diner started with the iconic coney dog, of course, but eventually innovated a new dish that would become its signature: the hani. The sandwich layers fried chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and a mayonnaise sauce between slices of pita, and like the coney, is another example of a Greek spin on an American classic. Details: Visit nationalconeyisland.com for locations.
Jennifer Borresen contributed the interactive graphic to this story. She is a graphic journalist at USA TODAY, specializing in explanatory graphics and illustrations in various fields, including politics, science, weather and entertainment.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How the coney dog tells a uniquely Detroit story
Reporting by Lyndsay C. Green and Jennifer Borresen, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Lyndsay C. Green and Jennifer Borresen, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
