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A hamburger
Course Main course
Place of origin Uncertain (Germany or the United States)
Creator Multiple claims (see text)
Serving temperature Hot
Main ingredients Ground meat, bread
Cookbook:Hamburger  Hamburger
A bacon cheeseburger, from a NYC diner.

A hamburger (also called a beef burger, hamburger sandwich, burger or hamburg) is a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked patties of ground meat, usually beef, placed inside a sliced bun. Hamburgers are often served with lettuce, bacon, tomato, onion, pickles, cheese and condiments such as mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, and green chile.[1]

The term "burger" can also be applied to the meat patty on its own, especially in the UK where the term "patty" is rarely used. The term may be prefixed with the type of meat used as in "turkey burger".


The hamburger is named after Hamburg, Germany

The term hamburger originally derives from Hamburg,[2] Germany's second largest city, from which many people emigrated to the United States. In High German, Burg means fortified settlement or fortified refuge and is a widespread component of place names. Hamburger, in the German language, is the demonym of Hamburg. Similar to frankfurter and wiener, names for other meat-based foods, being demonyms of the cities of Frankfurt and Vienna (Wien), respectively.

The term "burger", a back-formation, is associated with many different types of sandwiches similar to a (ground meat) hamburger, using different meats, such as a buffalo burger, venison, kangaroo, turkey, elk, lamb, salmon burger or veggie burger.[3]


There have been many claims to the origin of the hamburger. Currently, the earliest known report in a newspaper occurs on July 5, 1896, when the Chicago Daily Tribune made highly specific claim regarding a "hamburger sandwich" in an article about a "Sandwich Car". The article reads, "A distinguished favorite, only five cents, is Hamburger steak sandwich, the meat for which is kept ready in small patties and "cooked while you wait" on the gasoline range."[4] According to the Library of Congress, the hamburger, a ground meat patty between two slices of bread, was first created in America in 1900 by Louis Lassen, a Danish immigrant, owner of Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut.[5] There have been rival claims by Charlie Nagreen, Frank and Charles Menches, Oscar Weber Bilby, and Fletcher David.[6][7] White Castle traces the origin of the hamburger to Hamburg, Germany with its invention by Otto Kuase.[8] However, it gained national recognition at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair when the New York Tribune namelessly attributed the hamburger as, "the innovation of a food vendor on the pike".[7] No conclusive claim has ever been made to end the dispute over the inventor of the hamburger with a variety of claims and evidence asserted since its creation. An article from ABC News sums up the problems of identifying the origins of the hamburger by stating, "One problem is that there is little written history. Another issue is that the spread of the burger happened largely at the World's Fair, from tiny vendors that came and went in an instant. And it is entirely possible that more than one person came up with the idea at the same time in different parts of the country."[9]

Claims of invention

Louis Lassen

The Library of Congress has officially declared that Louis Lassen of Louis' Lunch, a small lunch wagon in New Haven, Connecticut, sold the first hamburger and steak sandwich in the U.S. in 1900.[10][11][12] New York magazine states that, "The dish actually had no name until some rowdy sailors from Hamburg named the meat on a bun after themselves years later", noting also that this claim is subject to dispute.[13] A customer ordered a quick hot meal and Louis was out of steaks. Taking ground beef trimmings, Louis made a patty and grilled it, putting it between two slices of toast.[7] Though some critics like Josh Ozersky, a food editor for New York Magazine, claim that this sandwich was not a hamburger because the bread was toasted.[14]

Charlie Nagreen

One of the earliest claims comes from Charlie Nagreen, who in 1885 sold a meatball between two slices of bread at the Seymour Fair[15] now called the Outagamie County Fair in some attributions.[14] The Seymour Community Historical Society of Seymour, Wisconsin, credits Nagreen, now known as "Hamburger Charlie", with the invention of the hamburger. Nagreen was fifteen when he reportedly made sandwiches out of pork that he was selling at the 1885 Seymour Fair (now the Outagamie County Fair), so that customers could eat while walking. The Historical Society explains that Nagreen named the hamburger after the Hamburg steak with which local German immigrants were familiar.[16][17]

Otto Kuase

According to White Castle, Otto Kuase was the inventor of the hamburger. In 1891 he created a beef patty cooked in butter, topped with a fried egg. German sailors would later omit the fried egg.[7]

Oscar Weber Bilby

Another claim attributes the invention of the hamburger to Oscar Weber Bilby in 1891.[6][18][19][20] The family of Oscar Weber Bilby claim the first-known hamburger on a bun was served on Grandpa Oscar's farm using a yeast bun on the Fourth of July.[21] In 1995, Governor Frank Keating proclaimed that the first true hamburger on a bun was created and consumed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1891; calling Tulsa, "The Real Birthplace of the Hamburger."[22]

Frank and Charles Menches

Another claim from 1885 comes from Frank and Charles Menches who claim to have sold a ground beef sandwich at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York.[14] During the fair, they ran out of pork sausage for their sandwiches and substituted beef.[15] Kunzog, who spoke to Frank Menches, says they exhausted their supply of sausage, so purchased chopped up beef from a butcher, Andrew Klein. Though historian Joseph Streamer wrote that the meat was from Stein's market not Klein's; despite Stein having sold the market in 1874.[15] The story notes that the origin of the hamburger comes from Hamburg, New York not Hamburg Germany.[15] Yet Frank Menches's obituary in The New York Times states that these events took place at the 1892 Summit County Fair in Akron, Ohio.[23]

Fletcher Davis

Fletcher Davis of Athens, Texas claimed to have invented the hamburger. According to oral histories, in the 1880s, he opened a lunch counter in Athens and served a 'burger' of fried ground beef patties with mustard and Bermuda onion between two slices of bread; with a pickle on the side.[7] The claim is that in 1904, Davis and his wife Ciddy ran a sandwich stand at the St. Louis World's Fair.[7] Historian Frank X. Tolbert, noted that Athen's resident Clint Murchison said his grandfather dated the hamburger to the 1880s with 'Old Dave' a.k.a. Fletcher Davis.[15] A photo of "Old Dave's Hamburger Stand" from the 1904 connection was sent to Tolbert as evidence of the claim.[15] Also the New York Tribune namelessly attributed the innovation of the hamburger to the stand on the pike.[7]

Other hamburger-steak claims

Various non-specific claims of the hamburgers invention relates to the term hamburger steak, but no mention of it being a sandwich. The first printed American menu which listed hamburger was claimed to be an 1834 menu from Delmonico's in New York.[24] However, the printer of the original menu was not in business in 1834.[21] In 1889, a menu from Walla Walla Union in Washington offered hamburger steak as a menu item.[7]

Between 1871–1884, "Hamburg Beefsteak" was on the "Breakfast and Supper Menu" of the Clipper Restaurant at 311/313 Pacific Street in San Fernando, California. It cost 10 cents—the same price as mutton chops, pig's feet in batter, and stewed veal. It was not, however, on the dinner menu, only "Pig's Head". "Calf Tongue" and "Stewed Kidneys" were listed.[25] Another claim ties the hamburger to Summit County, New York or Ohio. Summit County, Ohio exists, but Summit County, New York does not.[15]

Early major vendors

The McDonald's Big Mac
  • 1921: White Castle, Wichita, Kansas. Due to widely prevalent anti-German sentiment in the U.S. during World War I, an alternative name for hamburgers was Salisbury steak. Following the war, hamburgers became unpopular until the White Castle restaurant chain marketed and sold large numbers of small 2.5-inch square hamburgers, known as sliders. They started to punch five holes in each patty, which help them cook evenly and eliminates the need to flip the burger. White Castle began in 1995 selling frozen hamburgers in convenience stores and vending machines.[26]
  • 1940: McDonald's restaurant, San Bernardino, California, opened by Richard and Maurice McDonald. Their introduction of the "Speedee Service System" in 1948 established the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant. The McDonald brothers began franchising in 1953. In 1961, Ray Kroc (the supplier of their multi-mixer milkshake machines) purchased the company from the brothers for $2.7 million and a 1.9% royalty.

Hamburgers today

Sonic Drive-In Jr. Deluxe Burger.
A fast food hamburger from Sonic Drive-In.
Hamburger preparation in a fast food establishment.



Some North American establishments offer a unique take on the hamburger beyond what is offered in fast food restaurants, using upscale ingredients such as sirloin or other steak along with a variety of different cheeses, toppings, and sauces. Some examples would be the Bobby's Burger Palace chain founded by well-known chef and Food Network star Bobby Flay.



A high-quality hamburger patty is made entirely of ground (minced) beef and seasonings; this may be described as an "all-beef hamburger" or "all-beef patties" to distinguish them from inexpensive hamburgers made with added flour, textured vegetable protein, ammonia treated defatted beef trimmings which the company Beef Products Inc, calls "lean finely textured beef",[30][31] advanced meat recovery or other fillers to decrease their cost. In the 1930s ground liver was sometimes added to the patties. Some cooks prepare their patties with binders, such as eggs or breadcrumbs. Seasonings may be included with the hamburger patty including salt and pepper, and others such as parsley, onions, soy sauce, Thousand Island dressing, onion soup mix, or Worcestershire sauce. Many name brand seasoned salt products are also used.

In Finland, night-time fast food kiosks sell hamburgers to take away and eat at home. These hamburgers are intended mostly as quick nourishment instead of a culinary experience.
An extremely spicy hamburger containing Naga Morich chili sauce.



Burgers can also be made with patties made from ingredients other than beef.[32] For example, a turkey burger uses ground turkey meat, a chicken burger uses ground chicken meat. A buffalo burger uses ground meat from a bison, and an ostrich burger is made from ground seasoned ostrich meat. A deer burger uses ground venison from deer.[33]


United States and Canada

North American homemade hamburger
Beef mini hamburgers
A Double Steakhouse hamburger served at Burger King, Helsinki, Finland.

In the United States and Canada, burgers may be classified as two main types: fast food hamburgers and individually prepared burgers made in homes and restaurants. The latter are often prepared with a variety of toppings, including lettuce, tomato, onion, and often sliced pickles (or pickle relish). French fries often accompany the burger. Cheese (usually processed cheese slices but often Cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack, or blue), either melted on the meat patty or crumbled on top, is generally an option.


Other toppings include bacon, avocado or guacamole, sliced sautéed mushrooms, cheese sauce and/or chili (usually without beans), fried egg, scrambled egg, feta cheese, blue cheese, salsa, pineapple, jalapenos and other kinds of chili peppers, anchovies, slices of ham or bologna, pastrami or teriyaki-seasoned beef, tartar sauce, french fries, onion rings or potato chips.

  • National chain Wendy's sells a "Carolina Classic" burger with these toppings in these areas.[citation needed]
  • Pastrami burgers may be served in Salt Lake City, Utah.[34]
  • In Minnesota, a "Juicy Lucy", or "Jucy Lucy", is a hamburger having cheese inside the meat patty rather than on top. A piece of cheese is surrounded by raw meat and cooked until it melts, resulting in a molten core of cheese within the patty. This scalding hot cheese tends to gush out at the first bite, so servers frequently warn patrons to let the sandwich cool for a few minutes before consumption.
  • A low carb burger is a hamburger where the bun is omitted and large pieces of lettuce are used in its place, with mayonnaise and/or mustard being the sauces primarily used.[38][39][40]


In Mexico, burgers (called hamburguesas) are served with ham[42] and slices of American cheese (locally called queso americano) fried on top of the meat patty. The toppings include avocado, jalapeño slices, shredded lettuce, onion and tomato. The bun has mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. In certain parts are served with bacon, which can be fried or grilled along with the meat patty. A slice of pineapple is also a usual option, and the variation is known as a "Hawaiian hamburger".


United Kingdom and Ireland


An original and indigenous rival to the big two U.S. giants was the quintessentially British fast-food chain Wimpy, originally known as Wimpy Bar (opened 1954 at the Lyon’s Corner House in Coventry Street London), which served its hamburgers on a plate with British-style chips, accompanied by cutlery and delivered to the customer's table. In the late 1970s, to compete with McDonald's,[43] Wimpy began to open American-style counter-service restaurants and the brand disappeared from many UK high streets when those restaurants were re-branded as Burger Kings between 1989–90 by the then-owner of both brands, Grand Metropolitan. A management buyout in 1990 split the brands again and now Wimpy table-service restaurants can still be found in many town centers whilst new counter-service Wimpys are now often found at motorway service stations.





In recent years Rustlers has sold pre-cooked hamburgers re-heat able in a microwave oven in the United Kingdom.[46]


Australia and New Zealand



The only variance between the two countries' hamburgers is that New Zealand's equivalent to the "The Lot" often contains a steak (beef) as well. The condiments regularly used are barbecue sauce and tomato sauce. The McDonald's "McOz" Burger is partway between American and Australian style burgers, having beetroot and tomato in an otherwise typical American burger, however it is no longer a part of the menu. Likewise McDonald's in New Zealand created a Kiwiburger, similar to a Quarter Pounder, but features salad, beetroot and a fried egg. The Hungry Jack's (Burger King) "Aussie Burger" has tomato, lettuce, onion, cheese, bacon, beetroot, egg, ketchup and a meat patty.[49]



In supermarkets and corner stores, customers can buy unrefrigerated "hamburgers" (hanbao) off the bread shelf. These are ultra-sweet buns cut open with a thin slice of pork or ham placed inside without any condiments or vegetables. These hanbao are a half-westernised form of the traditional Cantonese buns called "char siu bao" (BBQ Pork Bun). The Chinese word for hamburger (hanbao) often refers to all sandwiches containing hamburger buns and cooked meat, regardless of the meat's origin including chicken burgers.



Hamburg steaks (served without buns) are similar to what are known as Salisbury steaks in the USA. They are made from minced beef, pork or a blend of the two, mixed with minced onions, egg, breadcrumbs and spices. They are served with brown sauce (or demi-glace in restaurants) with vegetable or salad sides, or occasionally in Japanese curries. It is may be served in casual, western style suburban restaurant chains known in Japan as "family restaurants".


Other countries






In Pakistan, apart from American fast food chains, burgers can be found in stalls near shopping areas, the best known being the "shami burger". This is made from "shami kebab", made by mixing lentil and minced lamb.[51] Onions, scrambled egg and ketchup are the most may be toppings.




Unusual hamburgers

  • In Las Vegas, Nevada at the Heart Attack Grill there is a Quadruple Bypass Burger. The burger weighs two pounds and the name is derived from the fact that the burger is unhealthy.[58] The restaurant is known for being honest about the fact that their food is unhealthy. Interestingly, they allow people that weigh over 350 pounds (160 kg) to eat for free.[59]



See also


  3. ^ Burger Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  9. ^ Berman, John and Millhon, Drew (February 20, 2007). "A Major Beef! Who Invented the Hamburger?". ABC News. Retrieved May 24, 2014. 
  12. ^ About Connecticut. State of Connecticut official website
  16. ^ ""Hamburger" Charlie Nagreen". Retrieved September 3, 2010. 
  26. ^ "Hoover's Company Profiles: White Castle System, Inc.". 
  33. ^ Gerard Seenan (October 4, 2004). "Highland schools get Bambi burgers". The Guardian(UK news) (London). Retrieved May 4, 2010. 
  41. ^ Move over, Cronut! The new Ramen Burger has New Yorkers in a foodie frenzy. (August 21, 2013). Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  42. ^ Jeremy Schwartz (August 27, 2007). "Uncovering Mexico: Best of times, worst of times: Celebrating the 100th". Retrieved December 18, 2010. 
  43. ^ "Wimpy History". 
  44. ^ Josh Lacey (January 2, 2006). "Camembert with that, sir?". The Guardian (UK news) (London). Retrieved May 4, 2010. 
  45. ^ "Third Wave Burgers". London Menu Trends 2012. LostinCatering 
  46. ^ "Rustler's Microwave Quarterpounder 190g". Retrieved April 25, 2010. 
  47. ^ "Fed: Tough to swallow inflationary hamburgers". Australian Associated Press General News (Australian Associated Press). July 26, 2006. 
  48. ^ Donna Hay (November 24, 2002). "The new burger". Sunday Herald Sun (The Herald and Weekly Times). 
  49. ^ "Hungry Jack's menu". Retrieved March 10, 2012. 
  50. ^ "Ideaforesight: Upscale, modern fast food". ideaforesight's blog. 
  53. ^ "Largest hamburger commercially available". 
  56. ^ Daniel Boulud. Retrieved on April 21, 2013.
  57. ^ "One-ton bacon cheeseburger sets record". CBS News. Retrieved September 4, 2012. 

Further reading


External links