An Italian hot dog is a type of hot dog popular in New Jersey, United States, made by Jimmy Buff and his wife Mary Racioppi. His family continues the restaurant Jimmy Buff's to this day. Other restaurants like Joe Joe's Italian Hot Dog in Toms River serve Italian hot dogs but Jimmy Buff's is nonetheless most widely known in New Jersey as the restaurant that first served Italian hot dogs and is most famous for their Italian hot dog. Preparation There are numerous ways to prepare an Italian hot dog. The basic dish consists of a cooked (usually deep-fried) hot dog placed in an Italian roll or pizza bread, and topped with a combination of fried bell peppers, onions, and potatoes. The Italian Hot Dog is a New Jersey tradition similar to Philadelphia's cheesesteak or other regional sandwiches. Locations The restaurants that serve Italian hot dogs are mainly based in New Jersey. Jimmy Buff's restaurant is based in Kenilworth. Another branch of the restaurant was open in West Orange. Joe Joe's Italian Hot Dog in Toms River serves Italian hot dogs as well. Charlie's Famous Italian Hot Dogs in Kenilworth also serves Italian hot dog. Dickie Dee's based in Newark, Tommy's Italian Sausage based in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and St. Anselm, based in the borough of Brooklyn in New York also serves Italian hot dogs. History James "Buff" Racioppi, founder of Jimmy Buff's in Newark, New Jersey, invented the Italian hot dog in 1932. The hot dog while indeed was invented by Jimmy Buff, his, Mary Racioppi first made the dish. Mary had made the Italian hot dogs for Jimmy and his friends while they were playing cards, where Jimmy Buff coincidentally got his nickname “Buff” from, because of the way he played his cards at the card table, translated from Italian to English he was nicknamed “Buff”. The hot dog was so popular amongst Jimmy's close friends inside and outside of the card table and relatives that Jimmy and his family had made the restaurant known as Jimmy Buff's. The Italian hot dog was one of the first dishes in the menu. In no time the dish became the centerpiece of the restaurant and had become a customer favorite. Even to this day over 80 years later the Italian hot dog along with its contemporary the Italian sausage is still widely popular at Jimmy Buff's and even take turns