Why is the "Hamburger" so American? Who invented the "recipe"?

Answer 1

The word hamburger comes from the name of the German town Hamburg.

Answer 2

Ever try to eat a Hamburger with Chopsticks, not pretty. Just a JOKE, relax! I'm going to guess without doing any research because, well does it really matter? Nah. It all happened one nite when a little boy after dinner ask his Mamma " How come when we have Meatloaf I always end up with the crumbs"? Mom knew what he meant and saw how unfair it was and Presto! the first Hamburger was invented. The family was over joyed that now, they had their very own mini meat loaves, on a sesame bum add lettuce, tomato, pickles and relish. The McDonald's family lived happily ever after, the family? Over 3 Billion, Dad must be tired.
Ask me about Fried Chicken Next.

Answer 3

When you look into the history of hamburgers in the U.S., you'll find sources proclaiming the inventor to be (from left) Louis Lassen, "Hamburger Charlie" Nagreen, or the Menches Brothers.

The history of the hamburger is truly a story that has been run through the meat grinder. Some sources say it began with the Mongols, who stashed raw beef under their saddles as they waged their campaign to conquer the known world. After time spent sandwiched between the asses of man and beast, the beef became tender enough to eat raw—certainly a boon to swift-moving riders not keen to dismount.

It is said, then, that the Mongols, under Kublai Khan later brought it to Russia, which turned it into the dish we know as steak tartare.

Several years later, as global trade picked up, seafarers brought this idea back to the port city of Hamburg, Germany, where the Deutschvolk decided to mold it into a steak shape and add heat to the equation, making something that, outside of Hamburg, was referred to as "Hamburg steak."

Answer 4

The “hamburger” or “Hamburg steak” is said to have been served at Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York in 1834. But it was served on a plate, not as a sandwich.

Early recipes seldom referred to serving the patty on bread or toast.

Who invented the hamburger sandwich? That’s a matter in contention, as is the identity of the originator of the cheeseburger.

Frank and Charles Menches are often credited with having invented the hamburger sandwich. The brothers, who lived in Ohio, were traveling concessionaires, selling ground pork sandwiches at county fairs. One day in 1885, so the story goes, they went to a butcher for ground pork, but he had run out of it. The Menches bought chopped beef from him, instead, and found their customers at the Erie County Fair in New York liked the product. While that well might be, the further claim that the sandwich got its name from the suburb in which the fair took place—Hamburg—is doubtful since the term “hamburger” was already in use to describe cooked chopped beef (its name taken from a dish served in Hamburg, Germany).

Charlie “Hamburger” Nagreen made claim to having served the first hamburger sandwich in 1885 at the Outgamie County Fair in Seymour, Wisc. He was 15 at the time. His concoction is variously described as a “flattened meatball” and “butter-fried ground beef.” In either event, he stuck it between slices of bread.

Louis Lassen of New Haven, Conn. is also portrayed as the inventor of the hamburger sandwich. It seems that Lazen sold steak sandwiches from his lunch wagon and would take the trimmings home which he ground and made into patties or meatloaf for his family. He’s said to have started serving the patties on bread to customers at his three-stool stand in 1900.

Fletcher “Old Dave” Davis of Athens, Texas is thought by some to have been the originator of the hamburger at his lunch counter in the late 1880s. It was apparently “Old Dave” who sold the hamburgers at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The hamburger attracted press attention there, and the birth of the hamburger is frequently associated with that event.

John E. Harmon, professor of geography at Central Connecticut State University, points out in his “Atlas of Popular Culture in the Northeastern United States” that none of these tales of the invention of the hamburger sandwich entails use of a bun. Each of these first burgers “was first served between bread or (in New Haven) toast,” he notes.

Whoever it was who first plunked a hamburger patty on a bun and undertook to sell this product is the true inventor of the American hamburger, but probably destined to forever remain unknown.

Lionel C. Sternberger is believed to have invented the “cheese hamburger” in the 1920s in the Northeast portion of Los Angeles County. Tales differ, however, as to precisely when this occurred, and where. Some peg the date as 1924, others as 1926. The situs is usually said to be Pasadena, though that has been called into question

Answer 5

If I'm not mistaken it was first served at a World's Fair and it came from Hamburg Germany

Answer 6

The history of the hamburger is truly a story that has been run through the meat grinder. Some sources say it began with the Mongols, who stashed raw beef under their saddles as they waged their campaign to conquer the known world. After time spent sandwiched between the asses of man and beast, the beef became tender enough to eat raw—certainly a boon to swift-moving riders not keen to dismount.

It is said, then, that the Mongols, under Kublai Khan later brought it to Russia, which turned it into the dish we know as steak tartare.

Several years later, as global trade picked up, seafarers brought this idea back to the port city of Hamburg, Germany, where the Deutschvolk decided to mold it into a steak shape and add heat to the equation, making something that, outside of Hamburg, was referred to as "Hamburg steak."

Of course, as it's been pointed out on the comments on this site and in John T. Edge's book Hamburgers & Fries, that's wishful thinking. As Mr. Edge writes, "The history of proletarian dishes like hamburgers is rarely explained by a linear progression of events."

But enough fishing in European and Asian waters; let's cut bait here. Somehow ground beef gets to America. Somehow it's put on a bun. But by whom? Surely the historical record becomes more clear once we cross to these shores.

It doesn't. There are currently three major claims staked on the confusing and contradictory map of American hamburger history. Each has its adherents and detractors. They are:

Louis' Lunch: This New Haven, Connecticut, burger joint claims to have invented our favorite lunchtime (and dinnertime) meal in 1900. From its website: "One day in the year 1900 a man dashed into a small New Haven luncheonette and asked for a quick meal that he could eat on the run. Louis Lassen, the establishment's owner, hurriedly sandwiched a broiled beef patty between two slices of bread and sen the customer on his way, so the story goes, with America's first hamburger."

"Hamburger Charlie" Nagreen: It's said that he started selling meatballs at the age of 15 at the summer fair in Seymour, Wisconsin. But, homeofthehamburger.org says, "Charlie was a resourceful young man with an outgoing personality. After not experiencing much success selling the meatballs, he had an idea and located some bread. He realized people could take this meal with them if he simply smashed the meat together between two pieces of bread. He called it a "hamburger" and yes, in 1885 the burger was born at the fair in Seymour, Wisconsin."

Menches Brothers: The brothers' descendents, who now operate a small chain in Ohio called, not surprisingly, Menches Bros. claim that their great-grandfather and his brother (Charles and Frank, respectively) invented the dish at an 1885 fair in Hamburg, New York. The brothers originally sold sausages but ran out and were forced to use ground beef, which at the time was considered declassé. John Menches, in a Businessweek story, says, "Faced with nothing to sell at all, they fried [the ground beef] up, but it was too bland. My grandfather decided to put coffee, brown sugar, and some other household ingredients in it and cooked up the sandwich. My great-uncle Frank served the first sandwich, a gentleman tasted it and said, 'What do you call it?' Uncle Frank didn't really know what to call it, so he looked up and saw the banner for the Hamburg fair and said, 'This is the hamburger.' "

So who invented the hamburger? Take your pick. We're too ground down at this point to choose.

I hope this helps.

Answer 7

The hamburger isn't American at all.
It originated in Hamburg, Germany (i'm serious!)and was brought here years later.
But, us Americans loved it, so the fastfood industry made it HUGE.
And,(another little tidbit) french fries aren't even French (or so ive been told.)

Happy Grilling (or cooking)!

~Chef L