New England–style hot dog buns, also often known as New England hot dog buns or top-loading hot dog buns, are the

hot dog bun A hot dog bun is a type of soft bun shaped specifically to contain a hot dog or another type of sausage. The side-loading bun is common in most of the United States, while the top-loading New England–style hot dog bun is popular in that r ...

s most commonly used in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

region of

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

and its

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

. They may also be called split-top, top-sliced, frankfurter rolls, or frankfurt rolls.

History

This style of roll or bun was developed in the 1940s by

Howard Johnson's Howard Johnson by Wyndham, still commonly referred to as Howard Johnson's, is an American hotel brand with over 200 hotels in 15 countries. It was also formerly a Chain store, restaurant chain, which at one time was the largest in the U.S., wit ...

, who approached the Maine bakery J. J. Nissen in search of a bun for its fried clam strip sandwich. According to ''The Boston Globe'', the "restaurant chain wanted top sliced rolls that would stand upright and be easier to prepare, serve, and eat." Outside of New England, they are associated with

clam roll Fried clams are clams dipped in milk, floured, and deep frying, deep-fried. Fried clams are an iconic food, "to New England, what barbecue is to the South". They tend to be served at seaside clam shacks (roadside restaurants). Clam rolls are fri ...

s and lobster rolls, dishes iconic to New England cuisine. Today, this style of bun is prevalent in New England, with small and large grocery stores stocking at least several competing brands, and the hot dog bun typical of the rest of the United States (also called a "side-loading" bun) offered right alongside.

Overview

In New England, hot dogs, clam rolls, lobster rolls, and the buns that accompany them are often associated with the

summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

months and coastal villages, where clam shacks and lobstering are common. Some recipes for these dishes explicitly require the use of a New England–style bun. The rolls are baked very close together, keeping the sides soft, much like sliced bread. This makes them amenable to buttering, toasting and grilling. Grocers in localities with significant tourism from New Englanders, such as some markets in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, will sell New England–style buns to satisfy visitors.

Outside the US

The Norwegian retail chain

Coop Coop or Co-op most often refer to: * Chicken coop or other animal enclosure * Cooperative or co-operative ("co-op"), an association co-operating for mutual social, economic or cultural benefit ** Consumer cooperative ** Food cooperative ** Housin ...

introduced top-loading hot dog buns in 2019, arguing that the buns helped to keep the hot dog and its toppings upright. Even though Norway has a significant hot dog market, with approximately 500 million hot dogs sold annually in a country of 5 million people, top-loading hot dog buns failed to make significant inroads into the Norwegian market. Only four years after being introduced they were discontinued following negative feedback from customers.

References

{{Cuisine of the United States New England cuisine Howard Johnson's Hot dogs Buns