January 4, 2024, 9:29 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Just as there are now countless ways to prepare a hamburger, there are just as many rumors about its supposed history. TRAVELBOOK has tried to find out where the popular fast food really comes from–and what the city association in its name is all about.
Is the hamburger named so because it was invented in Hamburg? And if so, which Hamburg–the one in Germany or the one in the U.S. state of New York? There are various theories about the origin of the hamburger; we present the most plausible ones. Which story is true is hard to determine today. Our guess, however: a bit of all of them.
Overview
Origin of the Hamburger Allegedly in the 19th Century
Ever heard of “Hamburger Charlie”? According to his fans, he was the first to place flattened meatballs between two slices of bread, at the Seymour Fair in the U.S. state of Wisconsin in 1885. However, his application for the title of hamburger inventor was never granted. Instead, there are several others who claim it for themselves.
Various Alleged Inventors
For example, a certain Fletcher Davis, also known as Old Dave, from the town of Athens in Texas. He had a stand at the 1904 “Louisiana Purchase Exposition” World’s Fair, which is well-documented.
But four years earlier, another claimed to be the inventor of the hamburger: the snack bar operator of “Louis’ Lunch” in New Haven, Connecticut. This Ludwig, aka Louis, is said to have immigrated from either Denmark or Germany and served the first ground beef steak between two slices of toast in 1900, depending on the version of the story.
But wait! Allegedly, the hamburger started even earlier.
Where does the sandwich actually get its name?
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History of the Hamburger Goes Further Back
One who calls himself an expert on hamburgers is the American George Motz. The filmmaker and historian is behind the documentary “Hamburger America” and has also written a cookbook about his beloved fast food.
Motz would not assign a single birthplace to the hamburger. He tells this to the TV personality in a conversation with “CNN.” Rather, various people and cultures are said to have influenced it, allegedly first in the 13th century–during the Tatar invasions in Mongolia. The so-called Tatar-Mongols are said to have preferred to eat raw mutton. They supposedly carried it under their horse saddles all day. “So when they finally set up camp,” Motz continues, “they chopped it up, probably added some spices, and ate it like that.”
So it was likely a precursor to the hamburger, a rudimentary “steak tartare”–and now you know why it’s called that.
Across the Baltic Sea to Hamburg and Then to the USA
Soon, ship workers along the Baltic Sea are said to have picked up the Tatar delicacy and gradually brought it through other western parts of Europe to Scandinavia. Centuries later, it came to Germany, where it became a meatball using a hot frying pan.
“Meatballs eventually made their way to the USA,” reports historian Motz. And to make the dish’s name easier to pronounce there, Americans changed it to “hamburger steak.” Serving it in bread–someone likely came up with this for practical reasons.
But who? That will probably remain a mystery forever.
Also interesting: The 10 best burger restaurants in Germany
Sources
– Where Did Hamburgers Originate – Who Invented The Hamburger?, Foodfuntravel.com
– How the hamburger became an American staple – and where to get classic burgers today, CNN.com