By Matthew Hoffman
Just in time for the Hot Dog World Cup in the USA, Ikea is coming around the corner with a sausage revolution!
The furniture giant announced in a press release that the popular snack is now also available vegan. The Swedes cite the increasingly conscious decisions of many people regarding their diet as the reason. They want to support them in “leading a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle”.
The result is the plant hot dog. The word plant comes from English and means plant, so the sausages were made purely from plants. According to a spokeswoman, the only ingredients are rice protein, onions, apple, salt, pepper and smoke flavorings.
The hot dog is not the first product to be veganized at Ikea. Even the cult Klopse Köttbullar (Swedish meatballs, pronounced Chöttbullar) are available without meat. By 2025, half of all meals in the in-house restaurants should be vegetarian or vegan.
It is doubtful whether there will be vegan sausages at the Hot Dog World Cup in Brooklyn, New York. The event, hosted by fast food chain Nathan’s Famous, has been around since 1916. It takes place every year on July 4th, the American national holiday.
The Hot Dog World Cup in Brooklyn is about the sausage. Only at 76 there is the world champion title for men Photo: John Minchillo/AP
Joey – known as “Das Maul” – Chestnut, is the big favorite again this year. The 39-year-old has won 15 of the last 16 eating contests. His record is an incredible 75 hot dogs in ten minutes.
An announcement by the sausage maniac shows that the hot dog eating contest – at least for the participants – is a serious matter: “I will sweat, it will not be nice, but I will do everything to hunt down these dogs and this one to break a record.”
Women compete too. After an interim pregnancy, Miko Sudo (38) wants to push title number nine behind the gills. Her record is an impressive 48.5 hot dogs, her goal is 50.