How did the hamburger develop into a popular food

Few foods are associated with barbecues and summer in the United States as hamburgers are. Many ways exist to making them and we traditionally associate them with family and the enjoyment of good weather. While this might be the case today, the origin of hamburgers does go back far in time but the composition of hamburgers is a relatively recent development.

Origins of Hamburgers

For hamburgers, the main step is to ground the beef and often one mixes the beef with other seasoning. Already, something like this is known from ancient Roman recipes where a type of beef was cut or sliced and mixed with pine kernels and peppers. This food may have been a relatively luxury item intended for wealthy Romans, as meat would have still been relatively expensive at this time. The Romans may have used this food as something to serve guests or entertain them when visiting wealthy residences.

Later, during the period of the Mongols in the 13th century, the concept of an easy to eat meat was needed as the Mongols prided their war-making skills on fast movement often requiring nearly non-stop ridding across the steppe. The Mongols developed a way to mince meat down and store this meet, so as they rode they could even simply grab the meet as it was saddled to their horses and eat it on the go. They likely did not use any bread but effectively they developed a concept of 'fast food' that introduced meat being minced. This type of meat production was later introduced by the Mongols to places in Europe that they came into contact with, including Russia. They usually used horse meat as this was not only widely available but also was able to sustain a high number of warriors relative to their nutritional value of horse meat. This minced horse meat may have been the origin of 'steak tartare' that is still eaten today, with tartare being a reference to the Mongols. During the occupation of Moscow, for instance, Russian populations began adopting using horse meat and stake tartare as a commonly made dish. Similar to the Romans, the Mongols often did not use bread to eat meat.

The next important innovation in the road to developing the hamburger was the development of the sandwich. By the 18th century, ground beef had become more common in many places in Europe. In some places, sandwiches, or using bread to cover a meat and eating it, had begun to develop. Similar to eating beef, this was confined to mostly wealthy people. One of the first people to be recorded as enjoying sandwiches was John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, where the word sandwich comes from. He enjoyed having bread with his meat because he did not like using knifes and forks and did not want the beak to dirty his fingers. While the sandwich likely existed before his time, his preference for it led to the term being used in reference of one eating beef or meat with bread covering the beef or meat.

Later Developments

In the 17th century, Russians trading and going to Germany, specifically Hamburg, brought minced meat with them including steak tartare. The city of Hamburg, in Germany, became a trade hub during this time that saw many eastern Europeans and those from the West coming to the port. Stake tartare was one of the foods that became well known in the city, with the mincing of meat along with sausages among the different delicacies of the time. However, the journey to the hamburger still required some other changes. First, it was the migration of many Germans, including from Hamburg, and those exposed with food from Hamburg, being aware of minced meat being a favorite from the town, that began to create an American idea of hamburgers.Migration in the late 18th century and throughout the first half of the 19th century from Germany began to increase in the United States. Germany identity began to become very strong in many areas. In New York, food from Hamburg was particularly popular. This included steaks and minced meats such as steak tartare. It was not just stake tartare but also other foods such as the Hamburg steak and other meat dishes that were served often lightly cooked but served with different flavorings and spices that became popular in much of the eastern and later western parts of the United States.

Although minced meat and what emerged as the Hamburg steak had been around for some time, it was only in the late 19th century, with industrialized meat processing, that Hamburg steak began to become more popular and widespread. With increased wealth, beef also became more popular in the United States in the late 19th century in the 1880s and 1890s. Chicago, during this time, arose as a central hub for meat processing as it had developed a vast network of rail that much of the country was tied to. The rise of meat and beef in particular led to a lot of experimentation with beef-related products, including different types of minced beef and steaks. Most likely we will never know the exact origin of the hamburger but it is very likely related to the increased influence of Hamburg-based beef production and steak, while the rise in popularity of beef and meat in the late 19th century likely led to developments such as the hamburger. The name 'hamburger' suggests an origin from Hamburg-style food, but who was the first person who put grounded beef together within two slices of bread is claimed by multiple people. One possibility is Charlie Nagreen (1871–1951), from Wisconsin, may have influenced the idea of a hamburger. He was selling Hamburg steaks and customers began to complain it was hard to eat them on the go as he sold his food a street stall. He may have been among the earliest to flatten the steak and use bread as a way for his customers to grab the meat and eat it. The town of Seymour, Wisconsin, where he was from, still celebrates this and has led to the nickname "Hamburger Charlie" for this development.