History Of Hamburgers & How It All Actually Started

Hamburgers may very well be considered many country’s favourite foods. You can find them everywhere, from fast food drive-throughs to Michelin-starred menus. According to research conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2020, Americans consume three burgers on average each day, which totals approximately 50 billion burgers each year. So, where exactly did burgers originate? How did it all start? We will find out in this article.

The burger origin story 

Hamburgers, while containing the name Hamburg, a city in northern Germany, did not exactly originate from the city. The inspiration for burgers did come from there; however, the concept was invented at a much later period. In fact, the beef patty concept predates the burger. While it could just be an urban legend, many researchers have stated that in the 12th century, horsemen from Mongolia first consumed a similar way of preparing beef. The trend then made its way to Hamburg through trading routes.

By the 19th century, Hamburg beef was made with Hamburg cows minced and mixed with onions, salt, garlic, and pepper, which were then shaped into patties without any bun or bread, resulting in what we know today as Hamburg steaks.

So, where did hamburgers originate from?

In the 1670s, many Germans immigrated to America, settling in Chicago and New York. Many of these immigrants made a living by opening and working in restaurants. Most of their menus featured their famous Hamburg steaks but were tailored to fit the Americans’ palette. The Hamburg steaks were usually the most premium and expensive item on the menu.  

However, when the industrial revolution hit in 1760, things changed, and Hamburg steaks were served to factory workers from food carts. Because of the nature of the dish, it was difficult for people to consume while standing. Professor Giovanni Ballarini, who wrote a research piece titled “The Origin of Hamburgers and Ketchup”, stated that the origin of hamburgers was not very clear. However, the prevailing story is that towards the end of 1800, the Germans were serving meat patties that were quickly cooked over the grill and slapped between two slices of bread.

So, who invented burgers?

Many historians stated that the first printed menu in America that had the word ‘hamburger’, specifically hamburger steak, in it was by New York’s Delmonico’s Restaurant in 1826. In an article, “Old menus tell the history of hamburgers in LA”, published by Metropolitan New-Enterprise, it says that from 1871 to 1884, Clipper Restaurant included in their breakfast and supper menu a Hamburg beefsteak for 10 cents.

While only history will know who actually invented burgers, a couple of potential names for the title of ‘Burger inventor’ were found in various historians’ research:

·        Louis Lassen: He is the founder of Louis’ Lunch, a burger restaurant located in New Haven, Connecticut. It has been claimed that the restaurant was the oldest burger restaurant in America and the first to serve burgers. Initially serving from a tiny lunch wagon, they have claimed that they created the first hamburger in 1900 as an out-of-the-blue response to a customer’s urgent request for a takeaway. 

·        Charlie Nagreen: In 1885, also known as “Hamburger Charlie”, Charlie Nagreen started mincing and mixing beef and onion and selling them as meatballs at fairs at the age of 15. After not being able to sell them successfully, he realised that if he smashed the meat between two slices of bread, people could take their meal with them around the fair. Hence, he did so and coined it “hamburger”.

·        Frank & Charles Menches: Legend has it that the Menches brothers ran out of pork sausage sandwiches, their signature menu, at the 1885 Erie County Fair. Their local supplier could not supply them with any more pork due to the late summer heat season, hence substituting pork with ground beef. The brothers grilled them and found them bland and dry. Therefore, they created a minced mix of beef, brown sugar, coffee, and other ingredients, creating a unique flavour that was popular among the county fair crowd. With their success, they call their dish the “hamburger”.

Conclusion

While it can be true that the invention of hamburgers could have taken place concurrently in various cities in America, one thing we can safely say for sure is that despite the uncertainty behind the true origin story, burgers are loved by many around the world, making them the most popular food item on any menu without a doubt. 

While we are not the first burger shop in Singapore that created burgers, we can be your first place to look at should you be looking for delicious, affordable, and quality burgers. From the classic 001 cheeseburgers to the umami-filled truffle burger, Wildfire Burgers has got you covered with a satisfying menu offering burgers, sides, desserts and beverages.