Hamburgers: 5 Things Men Should Know - AskMen
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      Hamburgers: 5 Things Men Should Know

      Hamburgers: 5 Things Men Should Know

      There are not too many items of food that are more associated with one country than the hamburger is with the good old U.S. of A.

      But while beef in a bun is as red, white and blue as apple pie, its equivalent can be found throughout history and in many countries around the world. The burger’s journey to the U.S. is a long and interesting one, as is its development into its current incarnation, which is so popular all over the world.

      Here are five things men should know about the hamburger.

      1- The Mongolians were the first to eat hamburgers

      Yes, we have Genghis Khan and his conquering hordes of horsemen to thank for the simple hamburger. While his nomadic troops were riding to battle, they would keep scraps of lamb or mutton, formed into patties, under their saddles to tenderize the meat. When they stopped to make camp, the horsemen would cook the patties over open flames or eat them raw. The dish was taken to Russia, where it became “steak tartare.”

      2- The Germans introduced the hamburger to America

      From Russia, the dish made its way to Germany, where pork or beef was used in the patties. Then the burger found its way to America via the crew and immigrant passengers of the German Hamburg-Amerika shipping line. On board, the passengers ate a dish of ground meat that was spiced and stretched out with onions and breadcrumbs.

      The crew of the ships were often in port for a considerable time, and stalls were set up to take advantage of their homesickness, offering “steaks in the Hamburger style.”

      3- The average American eats 100 hamburgers a year

      Nearly three billion of these are sold by McDonald's alone and, when you add in the other chains, diners and restaurants, it equates to a staggering 14 billion hamburgers sold in the U.S. every single year

      4- An Oklahoma farmer created the burger bun

      There is a lot of debate over where in the U.S. the first hamburger, as we know it, was served, but there seems to be general agreement that Oscar Weber Bilby, a farmer from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was the first person to serve one on a bun.

      Although there are records of German immigrants serving grilled ground-meat patties between slices of bread, Oscar was the first known to serve them on a bun. In this case, the yeast buns were made by his wife, Fanny. The hamburgers served at his Fourth of July party in 1891 were such a hit that he made a tradition of serving them every year. He opened a hamburger stand with his son, Leo, in 1933, and it still operates using the same grill on which those first Hamburgers were cooked.

      5- Other cultures have their own version of the hamburger

      The USA may consume the most hamburgers by some margin, but other cultures don’t let America get their own way without a challenge. In Xi'an, China, Rou Jia Mo are a hugely popular local delicacy. They are made of slow-cooked chopped beef or mutton, served in a flatbread made of wheat flour and topped with a fiery hot sauce.


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