The Ancient History Of Hamburgers And Cheese

The hamburger has a long and complex history, with its roots stretching back to the 13th century. The cheeseburger, on the other hand, is a more recent invention, with the first known instance of the word cheeseburger being in 1935.

The hamburger's history begins with the Mongols in the 13th century, who stored raw meat under their saddles to tenderize it. This meat was then eaten raw and is thought to be the origin of steak tartare. Over time, this dish spread to Russia and then to Germany in the 17th century, via the port of Hamburg. The dish was then known as Hamburg steak. In the 18th and 19th centuries, German sailors and immigrants brought the dish to New York, where it became a popular food item.

Over time, various people claimed to have invented the hamburger, including Charlie Nagreen of Wisconsin, Frank and Charles Menches of New York, and Louis Lassen of Connecticut. The first documented appearance of a hamburger with a bun was created by Oscar Weber Bilby and his wife, Fanny, in Oklahoma in 1891. However, the Library of Congress credits Lassen with creating the first hamburger in 1900, though his beef patty was served between two slices of toast rather than a bun.

The cheeseburger's history is a bit more straightforward. In 1924, Lionel Sternberger decided to put a slice of American cheese on a cooking hamburger at his father's sandwich shop in Pasadena, California. However, the first sandwich to be called a cheeseburger was at Kaelin's restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1934. The first use of the word cheeseburger was in 1935 by Louis Ballast of Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado.

The first hamburger was likely a ground beef patty, originating in Hamburg, Germany

The origin of the hamburger is somewhat unclear, with various people claiming to have invented it. One of the earliest references to a dish resembling a hamburger comes from Hannah Glasse's 1758 book, "The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy," which included a recipe for "Hamburgh sausage." This dish was suggested to be served "roasted with toasted bread under it." Another similar snack, known as "Rundstück warm" or "bread roll warm," was also popular in Hamburg, Germany, in 1869 or earlier.

The hamburger likely gained widespread popularity in the United States, where it became associated with fast food and diners. By the early 20th century, the hamburger had become a well-established dish, with multiple invention claims ranging from 1885 to 1904. The first White Castle restaurant, which played a significant role in popularizing the hamburger, was opened in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921.

The hamburger has since become a global phenomenon, spreading to different continents and adapting to local cultures and cuisines. It has become a symbol of globalization and is often associated with American culture. The dish is versatile, with numerous variations and toppings, such as cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and bacon.

As for cheese, it has been a part of human diets for thousands of years, with cheesemaking originating over 4,000 years ago. Cheese was initially made from goat or sheep milk, and legend attributes its discovery to an Arabian merchant who accidentally created cheese by putting milk in a pouch made from a sheep's stomach. The pouch contained rennet, an enzyme in sheep stomachs, which, along with the heat from the sun, caused the milk to separate into curd and whey.

The hamburger sandwich was likely invented in the US

The term "hamburger" comes from Hamburg, Germany, where it was a popular dish. However, the combination of ground beef patties with two slices of bread to make a sandwich was likely first done in the US. This combination quickly evolved to include the classic toppings we know today, such as onions, lettuce, and sliced pickles.

The hamburger's popularity spread due to several factors, including the emergence of fast food and the franchise business model. The White Castle restaurant chain, founded in the 1920s, played a significant role in popularising the hamburger and introducing the concept of selling processed food. This was later refined by McDonald's in the 1940s, leading to the global expansion of the hamburger.

The hamburger has become a culinary icon in the US, and its international popularity is due in part to its ability to match familiar elements in different culinary cultures. Today, the hamburger is often associated with fast-food restaurants, and it has inspired countless variations and debates among enthusiasts.

The cheeseburger was invented in the 1920s by a 16-year-old

The cheeseburger is a modern twist on the hamburger, a dish consisting of a patty of ground meat, typically beef, placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The cheeseburger adds a slice of melted cheese to the traditional hamburger. While there are several competing claims, the cheeseburger is reputed to have been invented in the 1920s by a 16-year-old named Lionel Sternberger, who was working as a fry cook at his father's Pasadena, California, sandwich shop, "The Rite Spot". Sternberger experimentally dropped a slab of American cheese on a sizzling hamburger, thus creating the first cheeseburger.

The exact origins of the cheeseburger are unknown, but it is believed that adding cheese to hamburgers became popular in the 1920s. By this time, the hamburger had already become one of the cheapest forms of beef in America, with many Americans consuming beef almost daily due to the vast grasslands of the Great Plains being opened up for cattle ranching. The addition of cheese to the hamburger provided a new variation in structure, ingredients and composition, with virtually all restaurants that sold hamburgers also offering cheeseburgers.

The cheeseburger has since become a staple of fast-food restaurants and diners worldwide, with some of the largest multinational fast-food chains, such as McDonald's and Burger King, featuring cheeseburgers as one of their core products. The popularity of the cheeseburger can be attributed to its ability to combine familiar elements from different culinary cultures, making it appealing to a global audience.

While the cheeseburger has spread across the globe, it has also taken on local features in different locations. For example, ground meat for cheeseburgers can be made from local animals, such as kangaroos in Australia. Additionally, various toppings and ingredients have been added to the cheeseburger to create regional variations, such as the addition of chilli con carne to create a Tex-Mex-style cheeseburger.

The hamburger is now strongly associated with fast food

The hamburger's association with fast food began in the 1920s with the emergence of fast-food chains such as White Castle, which revolutionised the way hamburgers were sold and consumed. White Castle introduced the concept of fast food by emphasising speed and efficiency in serving hamburgers, and this business model was further refined by McDonald's in the 1940s. The success of these fast-food chains contributed to the globalisation of food, with hamburgers becoming a culinary icon in the US, alongside fried chicken and apple pie.

The standardisation and mass production of hamburgers by these fast-food chains played a crucial role in their popularity. McDonald's, in particular, focused on making hamburgers as efficiently and quickly as possible, and by the 1950s, the concept of drive-in service had become firmly established. The convenience and affordability of hamburgers, coupled with aggressive marketing and franchising, led to their widespread consumption.

Today, hamburgers are often a feature of fast-food restaurants, and the largest multinational fast-food chains, such as McDonald's and Burger King, have made burgers one of their core products. The McDonald's Big Mac and Burger King's Whopper have become global icons of American culture.

The association between hamburgers and fast food is so strong that the term "hamburger" has become synonymous with the burger patty itself, with the bread or bun sometimes being referred to as a topping. While the classic cheeseburger remains a favourite, hamburgers have also evolved to include a variety of toppings and ingredients, reflecting local flavours and culinary innovations.

The hamburger has spread globally, with many regional variations

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the hamburger is similar to its American counterpart, and the same two fast-food chains—McDonald's and Burger King—dominate the market. However, the portions tend to be smaller in the UK. Another popular chain in Ireland is Supermacs, which serves burgers as part of its menu.

In Australia and New Zealand, hamburgers are usually bought from fish and chip shops or milk bars, rather than chain restaurants. The traditional hamburger in these countries typically includes tomato, lettuce, grilled onion, and meat, and is known as a "plain hamburger". If all the optional ingredients are included, such as cheese, beetroot, pineapple, a fried egg, and bacon, it is known as a "burger with the lot".

In China, the word "burger" refers to all sandwiches that consist of two pieces of bun and a meat patty in between. This has led to some confusion when Chinese nationals try to order sandwiches with meat fillings other than beef in fast-food restaurants abroad.

In Japan, hamburgers can be served in a bun, or simply as a patty without a bun, known as "hanbāgu" or "hamburg". Japan has several homegrown hamburger chains, such as MOS Burger, First Kitchen, and Freshness Burger, which offer local variations of burgers, including the teriyaki burger and the rice burger.

In Denmark, the hamburger was introduced in 1949 and is known as the "bøfsandwich". While the original bøfsandwich contained a mix of beef and horse meat, today it usually contains a beef patty and is often served with brown gravy.

In India, burgers are usually made from chicken or vegetable patties due to cultural beliefs against eating beef and pork. McDonald's in India, for example, offers the "Maharaja Mac" instead of the Big Mac, substituting chicken patties for beef.

The global popularity of the hamburger is due in part to the larger globalization of food and the emergence of fast-food chains and the franchise business model. The hamburger has become a culinary icon in the United States, and its spread worldwide has been facilitated by companies such as White Castle and McDonald's, which have standardized the burger and made it widely accessible.

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