The average American eats over 150 hamburgers every year, for a total of 50 billion for the whole country. They’ve become such a huge part of our culture that people now think of burgers as quintessentially American.
The popularity of hamburgers and the strange sense of national pride we have for them raises a few interesting questions. Where did the hamburger come from and how did it come to be? Where can I find the best burger in Murfreesboro?
We’ll answer all of these questions and more in this article. It turns out the whole story is a lot more complicated than you might think.
The Origin of the Hamburger
It’s hard to say for sure who invented the hamburger because no definitive proof exists. What we do know about burger origins is that they were first popularized around the turn of the century, anywhere from the 1880s to the 1910s.
However, hamburgers are a twist on a form of German food, known as a Hamburg steak. Hamburg, Germany had created a form of steak made of ground beef.
This steak, in itself, was based on a Russian delicacy known as steak tartare. This dish made its way into the German city of Hamburg, where the locals altered it to better suit their own tastes, creating the Hamburg steak.
From Germany to the New World
The history of the hamburger is closely intertwined with the history of Germany and the United States. The German States (Germany wouldn’t unify until 1871) were a dangerous place to be during Colonial times.
It was brimming with religious tension from the Reformation roughly a century earlier and was frequently involved in wars, often between German states and in its own territory.
The worst was the Thirty Years’ War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, and resulted in several million deaths, including many from starvation and disease. In the wake of it all, millions of Germans flocked to the Americas. Another wave of German immigrants would hit American shores in the 19th century, when conflict and political strife flared up again.
It All Comes Together
With German immigrants came German foods and customs. However, the Hamburg steak remained the same for a few decades, at least.
What finally caused the hamburger to come together was a necessity. At some point, vendors were struggling to sell Hamburg steaks because people didn’t have time to sit and eat, so one of them added two buns so it could be eaten as a sandwich.
Whether you’re looking for the best burger recipe or the best burger in Murfreesboro, you can thank a simple moment of inspiration.
The Origin of Hamburgers and the Best Burger in Murfreesboro
The history of the hamburger is a complex one. We’ve discussed the history of the hamburger in this article, but there’s always more to learn when it comes to culinary history.
If you want to know more about grilling a burger, burger prep, or are looking for recipes, please visit our site. If you’re looking for the best burger in Murfreesboro, try visiting our restaurant.