The History of Hamburgers | Food: Now and Then | NowThis

This is the hotly disputed history of the hamburger.
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People have some serious beef about who invented the hamburger.

The classic condiment-filled fixture we know and love today is only about 100 years old, and five American cities claim to be the home of the hamburger.

The dish arguably evolved out of steak tartar, which consists of raw meat, raw eggs and onions. The dish came to Hamburg, Germany, from Russia, and German immigrants brought it to the states. American restaurants then started selling “Hamburg-style” chopped raw steak.

Raw meat was used to aid digestion at the time, but New York doctor James Salisbury suggested that cooking the meat would be just as healthy, and the Salisbury steak was born.

In terms of the invention of the actual hamburger, there are several potential backstories. Some say the Menches Brothers from Akron, Ohio, came up with the beef burger after running out of pork sausages to sell. Some also say “Hamburger Charlie,” from Hortonville, Wisconsin, came up with the sandwich. However, the Library of Congress gives actual credit to Louis Lassen, who began serving beef patties between two pieces of toast.

Fast food restaurants then helped popularize them in the late 1900s, until they became the delicious, decadent mealtime staple they are today.  

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