Hamburger

The exact origin of the word "hamburger" has not been handed down. It is certain that the first syllable "ham" has nothing to do with the English "ham" (German Hinterschinken). Rather, it is derived from the short word for fried minced meat (English hamburger steak), which was introduced by Hamburg immigrants in the 19th century. This was also confirmed by an American etymology dictionary.

There are competing theories about the origin of the hamburger:

• Several hypotheses assume that the name is actually due to the German city of Hamburg. There is a traditional snack called Rundstück warm in Hamburg. This consists of a wheat roll ("Rundstück") with a slice of roast meat inside and gravy added on top. Another variation of this "hamburger patty" consists of a wheat roll with a ground beef patty made from beefsteak and egg yolk. This recipe, it is hypothesized, came to the United States with German immigrants. Moreover, meatballs with rolls were a popular dish on the emigrant ships that often sailed from Hamburg. At the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, such minced meat rolls - still without an "er" ending - were demonstrably sold as "Hamburg".
• In a US cookbook from 1842, the term hamburger steak appears for a steak made from ground beef (American English ground beef, British English minced meat). The minced steak was also called "Hamburg-style steak", named after the northern German city.
• Another theory, however, is that the name originated in 1885 at a fair in Erie County near the American town of Hamburg, near Buffalo in the US state of New York. There, the Menches Brothers had a snack stand where they experimented with beef as a substitute due to a shortage of roast pork (Hot Pork in English). They named their creation hamburger, in keeping with their birthplace. This theory is officially promoted by New York State with the slogan New York's Gift to World Cuisine, The Hamburger, but is widely disputed.
• Another theory is that in the early years of U.S. settlement (before cattle ranching was established), imported beef (primarily through the port of Hamburg, chilled with stick ice) was a luxury item; the slang word Hamburg generally denoted beef of superior quality; thus, this was to be emphasized.

The English word "hamburger" can stand for the type of minced meat used (lean ground beef) as well as for the naked meat structure without a bun or other ingredients. If this meat was placed in bread or a bun, it was called a hamburger sandwich. In the mid-20th century, both terms were shortened to hamburger or just burger. In German, hamburger or burger always refers to the entire snack of meat and bun; in GDR cuisine, the term grilletta was common.

The first "burger-like" dish comes from Chinese cuisine and is called Roujiamo (also Rougamo). It was invented during the Qin Dynasty (about 2200 years ago) in Shaanxi and is still a popular street food today.

The first hamburger was probably served in 1900 as a "steak sandwich" at the "Louis' Lunch" of the German immigrant Louis (Ludwig) Lassen in New Haven. It consisted of ground beef covered by two slices of toast. The lunch counter still stands today in downtown NewHaven (261 Crown Street). The hamburger is still served there in its original form - with onions, tomatoes and cheese, but without mustard or ketchup. Louis Lassen reportedly served a hurried guest with these ingredients topped with grilled ground beef made in-house from unsold steaks between two slices of toast in 1900. The guest was delighted, and a new form of American sandwich was born, so the story goes.

According to a decision by the Wisconsin legislature, Charlie Negrin, who is said to have been known as Hamburger Charlie, first sold hamburgers in Seymour, Wisconsin, in 1885. The Governor of Oklahoma, on the other hand, decided in 1995 that Oscar Bilby first sold hamburgers in Tulsa in 1891.

As recently as 1925, the hamburger landed in 19th place in a survey of favorite foods in New York restaurants.

In 1948, the Speedee system was introduced in McDonald's grill restaurant in Los Angeles, this laid the foundation for the worldwide success of system gastronomy with the hamburger as its core product; the hamburger became a cheap snack consumed en masse worldwide. McDonald's Deutschland GmbH started in September 1971, and on December 4, 1971, the first German branch opened on Martin-Luther-Strasse in Munich's Obergiesing district; it is still in operation today. The first branch in the new German states was opened on 21 December 1990 in Plauen, Saxony.