Did you know that a hamburger doesn't always need to have ham in it?
Who doesn’t love a scrumptious hamburger? It happens to be one of the most popular snacks across the globe that has a debatable origin story. This backyard barbecue staple is a hot sandwich consisting of a patty of cooked (fried or grilled) ground beef or any meat substitute that is put inside a sliced bun. It comes with vegetables, condiments and more. Well then, the question is: Why isn’t ham in the list and why is it called a hamburger when there isn’t any ham in it? Let us find out.
How did the name hamburger originate?
How the hamburger got its name continues to be a debate till date. However, the most convincing origin story can be traced back to a place called Hamburg in Germany. Researchers believe that it was not until the Europeans immigrated to the United States in the late 18th and early 19th century that the name hamburger had emerged. In fact, according to some studies, Europeans entered America with their so-called favourite food that comprised of Hamburg steaks, or a combination of fried patties of minced beef with chopped onions, eggs, bread crumbs and mild spices.
Back then, the dish was called ‘Hamburgs.’ However, when Americans sandwiched the beef between two slices of bread and turned it into their favourite evening snack, it came to be known as ‘hamburger.’ In fact, according to legends, the word ‘hamburger’ first appeared in the menu of a New York City restaurant called Delmonico in 1873 as they wanted to advertise Hamburg steaks. For their convenience, Americans later abbreviated it into ‘burger.’
Hamburger has quite a few origin stories though. Another popular theory suggests that hamburger originated in the hands of Meches brothers Frank and Charles, who had served a beef patty in between two slices of bread at a county fair called Hamburg near New York in the year 1885. Later in the same year, a teenager named Charlie Nagreen had also experimented with the idea when he had placed meatballs in between bread slices and sold them as ‘hamburgers’ at a Wisconsin county fair. Locals in Connecticut, on the other hand, believe that hamburgers had first originated in their New Haven restaurant called Louis Lunch sandwich shop in 1900, to celebrate the turn of the century.
Hamburger and sandwich: How are they different?
A hamburger and a sandwich are not the same because in case of hamburger, buns are used, while sandwich comes with sliced bread. Moreover, classically, a hamburger is going to be circular in shape, while a sandwich can be triangular or rectangular. Finally, while sandwich can be both veg and non-veg, hamburger has to be non-veg as it will always contain some kind of a meat patty.