Today’s the day to celebrate the humble hamburger

THE word hamburger was derived from the city of Hamburg, which is the second largest city in Germany. Burg in German translates to castle or fortified refuge.

The actually meal was originally beef which was minced and formed into patties to make steaks… or specifically Hamburg steaks.

It is uncertain where hamburgers originated and there are many debates, but there are some interesting historical facts on the topic.

Originally, the ground meat meal was eaten by the ancient Egyptians, after which, during the 11th and 12th centuries, Genghis Khan and his army would eat ground meat when on horseback for extended periods of time.

To soften the primarily lamb or mutton into flat patties, they would place them under the saddles of their horses while riding.

When Genghis’s grandson, Khublai, invaded Moscow, the Russians soon adopted the meal into their own diet and aptly named it steak tartare, which is now a much refined dish which included onions and raw eggs.

In the 18th century, during the industrial revolution and the growth of harbours and sea travel, European sailors who docked at the port of New York, were sold the hamburg steak by food vendors – predominantly German immigrants. During this period, it was a flavoured, shredded low grade beef with spices, salted, smoked, cooked from raw and served between two slices of bread.

Some interesting facts on burgers include:

· During WWI, the US government tried to rename hamburgers as ‘liberty sandwiches’.

· In 1921, Walter A Anderson and EW Ingram founded White Castle, the oldest burger chain, in Wichita, Kansas. Their first burger sold for a nickel.

· The Big Mac was introduced in 1968 and sold for 49 cents.

· Americans consume 13-billion hamburgers a year, enough to circle the earth 32 times.

· On average, Americans eat three hamburgers a week.

In recent years, these traditional beef patties have also been altered to include other meat such as ostrich, chicken, turkey,  and vegetarian options such as tofu and bean patties.

(Information from My Chef)

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