The history of the hamburger

Hamburgers are clearly one of the world's favourite foods. It can be found in the drive-through windows of fast food chains and on the menus of Michelin-starred restaurants. Their flavours inspire other dishes, and often even tempt burger lovers to add special extra toppings to their burgers.
Where exactly does this delicious beef sandwich come from? What's the history of the hamburger - does it have a single inventor, as some claim?

The history of the hamburger

You may have heard that Hamburg, Germany, is home to the first hamburger, and it's no coincidence that it got its name from there. The supposed truth is that the inspiration for the hamburger actually came from Hamburg, the concept of the sandwich was invented much later. In fact, some say that the concept of ground beef probably predates Hamburg, with Tatar horsemen eating the first such beef in the 12th century, when it was tenderised under saddle. The trend made its way to Germany via trade routes, then through Russia.

But there is one point on which everyone agrees in the stories about the origin of the hamburger: by the 19th century, beef from German Hamburg cows was ground, combined with garlic, onions, salt and pepper, and then formed into patties (without bread or buns) to make Hamburg steaks. These early hamburgers were considered gourmet and were quite expensive for the quality of hamburger beef.

So where was the hamburger invented?

When German immigrants began arriving in New York and Chicago, many of them made a living by opening restaurants. Menus often featured Hamburg steak, an Americanised version of German offerings, which was often the most expensive dish on the menu.

During the Industrial Revolution, factory workers were then served Hamburg steak from food trucks. It proved difficult to eat standing up, so a creative chef squeezed a meat pie between two slices of bread (the name of the kitchen innovator has unfortunately been lost to history).
And so the hamburger sandwich was born, and its popularity boomed across the country.

So who invented it?

Some say the exact name is lost to history, as the dish was born out of necessity on the streets of New York and Chicago. But there are, of course, a few individuals vying for the title:

Louis Lassen of New Haven, Connecticut
Hamburger Charlie" Nagreen of Seymour, Wisconsin
Charlie and Frank Menches, Hamburg - New York axis
Whatever the true origin story, over the years the hamburger has become a symbol of American cuisine, though loved and adored worldwide.
The overwhelmingly popular version is the traditional beef burger. So popular is this basic version that the global craze for burgers may not be sustainable. Scientists are constantly working on producing burger meat in petri dishes to meet the huge demand for burger meat worldwide. These tasty burger substitutes are now available and popular on menus around the world, and have even hit the shelves of grocery stores.

The burger is available in many varieties, even vegetarian. In countries such as India, where beef is not part of the traditional Hindu diet, potato patties called Aloo Tikki are popular, but also cheese substitutes are popular worldwide.

Try KIOSK's versions, you're sure to love them!