what is the origin of a hamburger? Was it Hamburg, Germany?

Answer 1

Forgive my ignorance, but I thought a hamburger was an all american food item.

The origin of the hamburger is clouded in history and controversy. In Medieval times the Tartars, a band or warriors from the plains of Central Asia would place pieces of beef under their saddles while they rode. This would tenderize the meat that would then be eaten raw. This is the legend of the origin of the modern dish, Beef Tartare.
In the nineteenth century, German immigrants brought a dish called Hamburg Style Beef to the United States, which had traveled to the seaport city of Hamburg, Germany from Russia. This dish was a raw, chopped piece of beef and is believed to be the primitive ancestor of the modern hamburger.

Now several people who claim to be the descendents of the hamburger’s inventor dispute what happened next. The story used to be that the first hamburger was served up at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. This sandwich was made with a cooked patty of ground beef on a hard roll. Of course there are earlier references but this might very well be the first time a cooked patty hit the bun. This might be the oldest verifiable instance of the Hamburger being served. However, there are many more who claim the inheritors of the Burgers fame.

Answer 2

Yes,you can find more information at here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger

The Origin of Hamburger
Hamburger is a common everyday English word. However, people often see that as an American invention holding a kind of national characteristic.

Originally, hamburger meant only ‘a fresh cooked or broiled meatball, ground meat steak or patty of meat served warm’. The secondary meaning, of ‘a sandwich, patty in circular or square form between two bun halves’ came into being in America.




How did the hamburger arrive in America? There are many explanations of the origin of hamburger. I personally like the version from the book “Hamburger for America and the World”, 1984 by Gyula Decsy.


The word comes from the seaport city - Hamburg in Germany. During the time of American settlement, a lot of European immigrants moved to the New World. At that time the port of Hamburg meant the last piece of European soil immigrants felt under their feet before their voyage to the unknown. Hamburger was a food European immigrant often used to consume on the boats of the Hamburg-America Line. Like the Italians immigrant that brought in pizzas, the German immigrant brought in hamburger. Strangely enough they did not use the names for hamburger in their mother tongue (German name ‘Frikadelle’). Maybe that was because the word hamburger reminded them nostalgic of their voyage and was an element of recalling their old homeland.



Another more interesting view by Louis Szathmary emphasizes that at the time of the European immigrants settling America there was a shortage of female population in the United States. Thus ordering a hamburger was a symbolic act of being in touch with a European female through the remote contact of a dish. The city of Hamburg itself recalls a seaport with the most notorious nightlife establishments in Europe and hamburger could therefore have some symbolic connections with sexuality.



Today one can easily agree that hamburger absolutely has both a nutritional (though some may argue not, especially when it is served with fries) and a social function for which there is a global demand. You can't avoid seeing McDonald's restaurants wherever you may travel. One reason for why hamburger is so popular is in today's fast-paced society, a light fast food lunch is a perfect solution for short lunch breaks

Answer 3

I heard from a friend the word hamburger comes from Hamburg Germany. So I think the origin is from Germany which is like sandwich but later the States create or rather re-invent it to todays hamburger.

Answer 4

Yes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger

Answer 5

In the nineteenth century, German immigrants brought a dish called Hamburg Style Beef to the United States, which had traveled to the seaport city of Hamburg, Germany from Russia. This dish was a raw, chopped piece of beef and is believed to be the primitive ancestor of the modern hamburger.

Check out my source link below...

Answer 6

Yes, a form of this chopped beef dish did originate in Hamburg, Germany, just as the frankfurter was the style of sausage from
Frankfurt, Germany, and so on. German immigrants, including Hessian soldiers who remained here after the Revolutionary War, brought their traditional dishes with them, including wurst (sausages) in infinite variety, as well as sauerkraut, amongst many others. Even Yankee Pot Roast is a variation on sauerbraten, made in an almost identical manner, and served with the same traditional side dishes. For a good idea of what German dishes have become mainstream American, check any Amish cookbook.

Answer 7

Hahah.. nice try. but I actually just read an article on this the other week.

The first hamburgers in U.S. history were served in New Haven, Connecticut, at Louis' Lunch sandwich shop in 1895. Louis Lassen, founder of Louis' Lunch, ran a small lunch wagon selling steak sandwiches to local factory workers. Because he didn't like to waste the excess beef from his daily lunch rush, he ground it up, grilled it, and served it between two slices of bread -- and America's first hamburger was created.

Actually now that I read it over again.. it does only state in US history and not the world. So you may be right. Although if you click on my 2nd link looks like ground beef might have originated from the Mongols... with the likes of Genghis Khan i think

Answer 8

The word "Hamburger" comes from Hamburg, Germany; the inhabitants of this city are also known as "Hamburger" in German but as Hamburgians in English. In Germany, local traditional snacks are often named after the place of origin, like the Frankfurter (also known as a hotdog), the Berliner (a type of "doughnut") or (Nürnberger) Bratwurst. In Hamburg it was common to put a piece of roast pork into a roll, called Rundstück warm, although this is missing the "essence" of the modern hamburger, which is ground meat. Yet another theory however states that also in Hamburg, Germany, meatscraps, similar to modern ground beef were served on a Brötchen,[2] a round bun-shaped piece of bread. It is said that German immigrants then took the Hamburger to the United States, where the bun was added, creating the modern Hamburger.[

In the Middle Ages, Hamburg was an important center of trade between Arab and European merchants. The theory is that Arab traders introduced Kibbeh, which is ground lamb mixed with spices, often eaten raw. The locals then adapted the dish by replacing the lamb with pork and/or beef, and more significantly, by cooking it to make a filet of ground meat, such as a "Hamburg Steak" or "Hamburger" as it eventually came to be known. From this they made a new and unique kind of Rundstück warm that came to be strongly associated with the city.

There is still a German tradition of making ground beef sandwiches, thought to descend from the original "Hamburg Rundstück," and which tend to be elongated like an American sub sandwich, and feature very different condiments than the typical modern hamburger. These are often referred to as "German hamburgers" outside of Germany, and are served in many German-food restaurants.

Within Germany, the specific connection between the food and the city of Hamburg became lost as the sandwich spread throughout the country and became a somewhat common dish. In other countries, the historical term "Hamburger" remained in popular usage to describe ground meat rolls and sandwiches. In modern times, the term hamburger may refer to the meat patty used to make the sandwich or to the sandwich itself.


[edit] Development of modern hamburgers
It is believed that the first hamburgers in U.S. history were served in New Haven, Connecticut, at Louis' Lunch sandwich shop, which was established in 1895. [1]. Louis Lassen, the operator of Louis' Lunch on Meadow Street in New Haven, is sometimes credited with having invented this quick businessman's meal when he sandwiched a broiled beef patty between two pieces of white toast for a busy office worker in 1900. Louis' Lunch was serving hamburgers from its closet-sized third location in the 1970s when it had to be re-located to 261-263 Crown Street to make room for a high-rise. Their burgers are prepared the same way they were since the beginning, hand formed beef patties broiled in the same stoves served on toasted white bread instead of a hamburger bun and no condiments; the only permitted garnishes are cheese, tomato, and onion. (Trager 1997).

Answer 9

The word 'sandwich' for an item of food was possibly named after John Montagu who was the 4th Earl of Sandwich. It is said that in approx.1762, he asked for meat to be served between slices of bread, to avoid interrupting a gambling game. This story may have been rumour or adverse propoganda, put about by his rivals.

Confusing Titles

Hereditary English titles can be confusing. The family of the Earls of Sandwich has no real connection to the town itself, only the title. The 1st Earl, Edward Montagu, originally intended to take the title of the Earl of Portsmouth - this may have been changed as a compliment to the town of Sandwich, because the fleet he was commanding in 1660 was lying off Sandwich, before it sailed to bring back Charles II to England.

We could be eating a 'Portsmouth' !

It is generally thought here, that the word 'sandwich' as an item of food, has no connection with the town, only with John Montagu, who happened to have the title, a 'sandwich' could just as easily have been called a 'portsmouth' if the 1st Earl, Edward Montagu, had not changed his mind.

The Sandwich Isles

Captain James Cook also named the Sandwich Isles (Hawaii) after the 4th Earl, who was his financial sponsor.

THEREFORE....

well, you get the picture... sandwich...evolve, evolve, evolve....HAMBURGER!!

Answer 10

A really good book to read not just about hamburgers but the origin of fast food and such is Fast Food Nation. It was such a great book!