History of the Hamburger	FOOD & COOKING

The hamburger is a beloved food that has become a staple of American cuisine and is eaten all around the world. With many companies having built their success on burgers such as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, In-N-Out Burger, Five Guys and Shake Shack.

Its origins can be traced back to the late Nineteenth century, but the story of the hamburger actually goes back much further.

Origins of ground meat

The idea of grinding meat to make it easier to eat dates back to ancient times. In the Middle Ages, people would often chop up meat and mix it with spices and other ingredients to create sausages and other ground meat dishes. By the 1700s, minced meat had become a popular ingredient in many European cuisines.

In the early 1800s, German immigrants began to arrive in the United States. They brought with them a dish known as "Hamburg-style chopped steak," which was made by grinding beef and seasoning it with onions and other spices. This dish became popular in the United States and eventually evolved into what we know today as the hamburger.

The birth of the hamburger

The hamburger as we know it today was first created in the late 1800s. One popular story is that a man named Charles Nagreen, who was selling meatballs at a county fair in Wisconsin, had the idea to put a meatball between two slices of bread. He called it a "hamburger" after the town of Hamburg, Germany, where his family had come from.

Another story involves Frank and Charles Menches, two brothers who were selling food at a county fair in New York in 1885. They ran out of pork for their sandwiches and had to use ground beef instead. To make the beef more palatable, they added coffee and brown sugar to it. This new sandwich was a hit, and they called it a "hamburger" after the city of Hamburg, New York.

Regardless of who actually invented the hamburger, it quickly became a popular food in the United States. In the early 1900s, many small diners and fast food restaurants began to serve hamburgers as a quick and easy meal.

Why are hamburgers called hamburgers if they are made with beef?

Despite being made with beef, hamburgers are named after the city of Hamburg, Germany, where a similar dish of minced meat called "Frikadelle" or "Bulette" was popular. German immigrants brought this dish to America, where it eventually evolved into what we now know as the hamburger.

The name "hamburger" likely stuck because it was a recognisable and catchy name that people could easily remember and pronounce. Even though the burger itself has evolved and changed over time, the name has remained the same.
Rise of fast food chains

The popularity of hamburgers continued to grow throughout the Twentieth century. In 1921, a man named Walter Anderson opened the first White Castle restaurant in Wichita, Kansas. White Castle was the first fast food chain to specialise in hamburgers, and it quickly became a huge success. By the 1930s, there were over one hundred White Castle restaurants across the United States.

Other fast food chains soon followed. In 1940, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California. Their restaurant featured a streamlined menu and an assembly line approach to making hamburgers, which allowed them to serve customers quickly and efficiently. McDonald's soon became the most successful fast food chain in the world.

By the 1950s, hamburgers had become a symbol of American culture. They were often served at drive-in restaurants and diners, and they were a popular food for teenagers and young adults.

Variations on the hamburger

As hamburgers became more popular, chefs and cooks began to experiment with different toppings and flavourings. Some popular variations on the hamburger include:

• Cheeseburger - a hamburger topped with cheese
• Bacon burger - a hamburger topped with bacon
• Mushroom burger -a hamburger topped with sautéed mushrooms
• Veggie burger- a hamburger made with a patty made from vegetables or other non-meat ingredients

Today, there are countless variations on the hamburger, and it remains one of the most popular foods in the world.

David Jenkins
Hub-UK

Email Hub-UK : info@hub-uk.com