Tucson Sonoran Hot Dogs

The dog comes from Hermosillo in Sonora and crossed the border with the people who made it, becoming a Tucson fixture: the sausage is wrapped in bacon and griddled, laid in a bolillo roll split along the top rather than the side, then loaded with pinto beans, chopped tomato, onion, mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeno salsa, usually with a roasted green chile on the side. It is eaten standing at a cart late in the evening as much as anything. Tucson was designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2015, the first in the United States, on the strength of a food history running from Sonoran and O'odham agriculture through mission-era crops - the hot dog is a recent chapter of that, not the whole case.

What you actually see

• Bacon-wrapped and griddled - in a top-split bolillo roll.
• Beans, tomato, onion and salsa - the standard load.
• A roasted green chile alongside - usually included.
• Carts working late - the normal way it is eaten.

When to go

October to April; Tucson summers are severe. A meal.

Honest expectations

Best versions are from carts in the south and west of the city, not the centre. Many operate evenings only. It is heavy food. The UNESCO designation covers the city's whole food history, not this dish alone.

Nearby

Mission San Xavier is south; Saguaro National Park flanks the city.