<Li> Media: Hot dog bun </Li> <P> A hot dog bun is a type of soft bun shaped specifically to contain a hot dog or another type of sausage . The original purpose of this food was to make it possible to eat hot dogs without burning one's hands . There are two basic types: top - loading New England - style hot dog buns or "lobster buns" in some areas, and side - loading buns, common in the rest of the United States, also called American style buns . There are also regional variations such as the poppy seed adorned buns of Chicago . </P> <P> The advantages to a top loader are that it holds the hot dog securely and fits nicely into little three - sided paper boxes . Top loaders are generally baked side by side and torn apart as needed, leaving a flat side surface for grilling; however it is debatable as to whether this is actually an advantage over the U-shaped underside (similar to a submarine hull) of side loaders which are able to fit snugly between grills, providing deep heating to the sausage . </P> <P> Hot dog historian and professor emeritus at Roosevelt University Bruce Kraig believes the term "hot dog" was invented in the late 19th century by American observers of German immigrants, who ate sausages on buns . The Americans joked that the sausages looked suspiciously like the Germans' dachshunds . </P>

How long is the average hot dog bun