How Did Hamburger Get Its Name?
How Did Hamburger Get Its Name? Hamburger gets its name from Hamburg, Germany, a city where a kind of “Hamburg steak” made of shredded raw meat was once a popular dish. It is from these steaks that Americans borrowed the name “hamburger” and gave it to the familiar sandwich of ground beef in a split bun.
The ground-beef hamburger and bun sandwich combination that we are all familiar with today first appeared in America at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
Today, any kind of ground-up meat is called hamburger, even though it may be far removed from the original version from Hamburg, Germany. Hamburgers have come to be a staple of the fast-food industry, and are one of the most popular sandwiches in the world.
Bonus Facts:
.In 1921 Walt Anderson, a cook from Wichita, Kansas convinced Billy Ingram to invest $700 to help him start the first Hamburger restaurant chain- The White Castle Hamburger chain.
.The Big Mac was introduced in 1968 and cost $0.49. (with those outrageous prices, I’m surprised they didn’t call it a Whopper!)
.The biggest hamburger ever served weighed 8,266 lbs. It was cooked in 2001 at the Burger Fest in Seymour, Wisconsin.
.Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pennsylvania has offered a 6 pound hamburger, named Ye Olde 96er (6 pounds = 96 ounces) since 1998. It comes garnished with 2 whole tomatoes, 1/2 head of lettuce, 12 slices of American cheese, a cup of peppers, 2 whole onions, plus large quantities of mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. No one has been able to finish one.
.The Hamburger hall of fame is located in Seymour, Wisconsin.