Understanding The History Of Hamburgers

When you enjoy a juicy hamburger, do you ever wonder where the inspiration for one of the world's favorite sandwiches came from? It's really a pretty simple idea: ground beef cooked up in a patty and served on a bun, but we know very little about its true and possibly more exotic origins.

The earliest hamburgers may have graced medieval tables. It's thought that warriors in Turkey and Mongolia tenderized tough meat by securing it under their horses' saddles before a long day of riding. At trail's end, the tender beef would be eaten...raw. Today's hamburgers though, are generally thought of as a typically American food. In true melting pot tradition, German newcomers to the U.S. may have brought along their recipes for a "Hamburg style" dish that underwent many changes in many places. And in fact, many places lay claim to the name "Birthplace of the Burger".

For instance, it might have originated with the Menches family of Ohio. Frank and Charles Menches, it seems, were selling their port sausage sandwiches at a Hamburg, NY fair when they ran out of pork. Ground beef was substituted to save the day, and the new sandwich was christened to honor the fair's location. Or maybe the burger is a Wisconsin innovation. Charles Nasgreen started out trying to sell meatballs there in 1885, but his customers had a hard time keeping them on their plates. His practical solution was to flatten the meatballs into patties and serve them between slices of bread. We don't know if Nasgreen called them "hamburgers" though.

Then again, it's just possible that the hamburger's birthplace was Texas. Supporters of Fletch 'Old Dave' Davis swear by that story. Old Dave, it's said, just craved something new, so along with some onions, he grilled a "steak" of ground meat and served it up sizzling between two pieces of bread. His craving produced a popular favorite, and he wound up serving it to a larger audience at the Louisiana Purchase exhibition at the St. Louis World Fair. Fletch was no stranger to food innovation, by the way. It's said that he also came up with the idea of fried potatoes to serve along with his hamburger steak sandwiches. That creation supposedly came from an acquaintance of his in Paris--Paris, Texas, that is.

But a reporter visiting Old Dave's booth at the Fair only knew of one Paris, and it was in France. So "French fries" the potatoes became! Who would guess that such an everyday food was so well traveled? From Mongolia to Texas, medieval times to the present, it’s apparent that many ingenious and creative cooks had a part in creating the hamburger. And that’s all before you add that slice of cheese, be it American, or Swiss, or Cheddar, to create a cheeseburger. Now the cheeseburger, for certain, originated in Denver, CO. Or Louisville, KY.

If you want to learn where you can order food online like hamburgers, then you've got to check out Bistro MD.

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