The hamburger is a staple of American culture, but we don’t know who invented it. At least five different states have claimed credit, but it’s hard to say who’s telling the truth.
What we do know is that it takes its name from the German city of Hamburg, which for much of its history was a trading port with a thriving beef industry. Unfortunately, famines and political unrest gripped the country, causing a wave of immigrants to come to America.
With them came the ground beef which made Hamburg famous. Towards the end of the century, one of these immigrants put some of this ground beef between two buns, and the hamburger was born.
That’s just one of many burger facts. We’ll discuss some others in this article.
1. The Largest Burger Ever
The largest hamburger ever made was created in 1982 and weighed over 3,500 pounds. The burger was split between 10,000 people.
We can’t imagine this was the best burger ever, given the time it would take to split it between 10,000 people. Let’s hope nobody’s piece was all bun.
While this was the largest burger ever, it certainly wasn’t the only gigantic burger in the world. Another large burger was made in Germany in 2017 and weighed almost 2600 pounds. Another burger in Detroit weighs over 1,000 pounds, and it’s for sale for $18,000.
2. 1904: An Icon Is Born
Burgers were invented sometime between 1880 and 1900, but it took until 1904 for them to become the craze that they are today. That year, the grand spectacle known as the World’s Fair came to St. Louis, and the burger was one of the many things to see and taste.
According to legend, ice cream cones, cotton candy, hot dogs, and iced tea also premiered there. Unfortunately, most of those legends are false.
There is some truth to a few of these legends, though. The hamburger wasn’t invented at the fair, but it was served there. Cotton candy was invented before the fair, but a cotton candy machine was patented in 1903 and shown at the fair. Handheld ice cream dishes existed, but most of them weren’t disposable, so the risk of disease was high. The cone may have premiered at the fair and solved these problems.
3. We Eat A Lot Of Hamburgers
How many hamburgers do we eat, exactly? Americans consume roughly 50 billion burgers per year. In fact, hamburgers account for the majority of beef served in US restaurants and the majority of sandwiches sold in the country.
However, with this many billions of burgers being consumed every year, it can be tough to find a great burger. The good news is that if you’re in Tennessee, a really great burger isn’t far off. Burger Republic serves the best burger in middle Tennessee.
Fantastic Burger Facts
Regardless of what part of the US you’re from, you’ve probably eaten a fair amount of burgers. However, there’s a lot you may not have known about the country’s favorite food.
We’ve discussed some great burger facts in this article. However, there’s always more to know about burgers, and there will always be restaurants serving great burgers. If you want more of either one, please visit our site. Feel free to look through our menu and order online.