May is National Hamburger Month. Did you know that the hamburger is actually considered a sandwich because it has two slices of bread placed on top of each other with another ingredient sandwiched between the two? It’s estimated that over 50 billion burgers are eaten in the U.S. every year. The hamburger has been a favorite food in the U.S. and throughout the world for over 100 years.
History Of The Hamburger
A few people have claimed that they were the first ones to officially make the hamburger. However, The Library of Congress credits Louis Lunch, from New Haven, as being the inventor of the hamburger in 1900. He actually was selling steak sandwiches at a lunch wagon and ran out of steaks. He then took some of the trimmings of the ground beef he had on hand, made it into a patty and placed it on the grill. When it was done cooking he put it in between two slices of toasted bread and the sandwich was born. The first hamburger he sold actually had no name at the time and a few sailors from Hamburg named it after themselves.
Hamburgers From Around The World
Although you can now usually find McDonalds, why not try a unique burger while traveling the world. Each country has its own way of preparing hamburgers. In Mexico the beef patty has ham and cheese placed on top of it before it is fried. It it topped with jalapeno slices and avocado. In Cuba you will find the frita, which is also popular in Miami. Ground beef is mixed with chorizo sausage and topped with a spicy ketchup sauce and potato sticks, or home made shredded potatoes. In Spain they also use a beef and pork blend with onion, breadcrumbs, paprika and Spanish peppers. Various toppings are offered including serrano ham and a fried egg. The British will eat a hamburger made of virtually any kind of meat including ostrich, bison and venison. In the Middle East you often find lamb burgers topped with Greek yogurt sauce on pita bread. In China they make hamburgers and place them right on their bread shelves at the grocery store so customers can grab one on the run. They consist of a simple piece of pork or ham place inside a very sweet bun. In other Asian countries they prefer a patty made out of chicken, squid or shrimp. In the Caribbean you can try beef or seafood patties flavored with jerk seasoning. In Australia barbeque sauce, pineapples and beet root are the most popular toppings.
Fun Facts:
- The world’s largest hamburger for sale is 185.8 pounds and has a price rag of $499.00. It is on the menu of Mallie’s Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate, Michigan’s and takes 12 hours to prepare.
- The Twisted Root Burger Co sells hamburger patties made of ingredients not usually found in the U.S. including beaver, kangaroo and emu.
- In Las Vegas, the restaurant called Heart Attack Grill makes what they call a Quadruple Bypass Burger. It consists of two pounds of meat and they let anyone that is over 350 pounds eat it for free.
- The world’s heaviest hamburger ever made was 2,014 pounds. The Black Bear Casino Resort in Minnesota made the hamburger on September 2, 2012.
