History of the hamburger: Difference between revisions
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[[File:NCI Visuals Food Hamburger.jpg|300px|thumb|Hamburger profile showing the typical ingredients: bread, vegetables, and ground meat.]] |
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[[File:Burger 1 bg 080206.jpg|300px|thumb|Open hamburger with [[processed cheese|cheese]] and [[French fries|fries]] served in an American [[diner]].]] |
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The '''hamburger''' most likely first appeared in Mr. Gore's class in the 19th or early 20th centuries.<ref name="Giovanni" /><ref name="Ronald" /> The modern [[hamburger]] was a product of the culinary needs of a society that was rapidly changing due to industrialization, and therefore, people had less time to prepare as well as to consume meals. |
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Americans contend that they were the first to combine two slices of bread and a steak of [[ground beef]] into a "hamburger sandwich". Part of the controversy over the origin of the hamburger is because the two basic ingredients, bread and beef, were prepared and consumed separately for many years before their combination. Shortly after its creation, the hamburger was prepared with all of the now typically characteristic trimmings, including onions, lettuce, and sliced [[pickled cucumber|pickles]]. |
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During the 20th century, there were various controversies, including a nutritional controversy in the late 1990s. The burger is now readily identified with the United States, and a particular style of cuisine, namely fast food.<ref name="ilustra">{{Cite book|author= Tennyson, Jeffrey |title= Hamburger Heaven: The Illustrated History of the Hamburg |edition= 1st |year= 1995 |month= March |publisher= Hyperion Books |location= |isbn= 0-7868-8080-5 }}</ref> Along with [[fried chicken]] and [[apple pie]], the hamburger has become a culinary icon in the United States.<ref name="Edge">{{Cite book|author= Edge, John T. |title= Hamburgers and Fries: An American Story |edition= 1st |year= 2005 |publisher= Putnam Adult |location= New York |isbn= 0-399-15274-1}}</ref><ref name="amer">{{Cite book|author= C. Counihan |title= Food in the USA |edition= 1st |year= 2002 |month= July |publisher= Routledge |location= New York |isbn= 0-415-93232-7 }}</ref> |
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The hamburger's international popularity demonstrates the larger [[globalization]] of food<ref name="Global" /> that has also been witnessed in the rise in the global popularity of other national dishes, including the [[Turkey|Turkish]] [[döner kebab]], the Italian [[pizza]], and Japanese [[sushi]]. The hamburger has spread from continent to continent perhaps because, in part, it is easy to understand in different culinary cultures.<ref name="McGlobal" /> This global culinary culture has been produced, in part, by the concept of selling processed food. This idea was first imagined in the 1920s by the [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle]] restaurant chain and its visionary Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram, and was refined by [[McDonald's]] in the 1940s.<ref name="Smith" /><ref name="Arcs" /> This global expansion has provided comparative economics such as the [[Big Mac Index]],<ref name="BigIndex" /> which allows for the comparison of the purchasing power of different countries where the [[Big Mac]] hamburger is sold. |
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==Beginning== |
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[[File:Tatar-1.jpg|300px|thumb|right|A [[Mongolia]]n ''[[steak tartare]]''.]] |
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[[File:Buletten.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Three German ''Frikadelle'' (''Bulette'', ''Fleischklops'').]] |
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Prior to the disputed invention of the hamburger in the United States, similar foods already existed in the culinary tradition of Europe. In the 12th century, the [[nomadic]] [[Mongols]] carried food made up of several varieties of milk (''[[kumis]]'') and meat ([[horse meat|horse]] or [[camel meat|camel]]) during their journeys.<ref name="Mongol" /> During the life of their leader [[Genghis Khan]] (1167–1227), the Mongol army occupied the western portions of the modern-day nations of Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Kazakhstan]],<ref>{{Cite book|author= Weatherford, Jack |title= Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World |edition= 1st |year= 2005 |month= March |publisher= Three Rivers Press |isbn= 0-609-80964-4}}</ref> forming the so-called [[Golden Horde]]. This cavalry dominated army was fast moving and sometimes unable to stop for a meal, so they were often forced to eat while riding. They would place a few pieces of meat in the form of [[Fillet (cut)|fillet]]s under their [[saddle]]s so that it would crumble with the constant jogging and be cooked by the heat from the animal. This recipe for [[Ground meat|minced meat]] spread throughout the [[Mongol Empire]] until its split in the 1240s.<ref name="Mongols">Morgan, David. "''The Mongols''" (Blackwell Publishers; Reprint edition, April 1990), ISBN 0-631-17563-6.</ref> During the Mongol Empire's existence, it was common for Mongol armies to follow different groups of animals (such as [[herd]]s or flocks of horses, sheep, or oxen) that provided the necessary protein for the warriors' diets.<ref name="Mongol" /> [[Marco Polo]] also recorded descriptions of the culinary customs of the Mongol warriors, indicating that the flesh of a single [[pony]] could provide one day's sustenance for one hundred warriors. |
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When Genghis Khan's grandson [[Kublai Khan]] (1215–1294) invaded Moscow, he and his warriors introduced minced horsemeat to the Muscovites, which was later called ''[[steak tartare]]''.<ref name="Mongol">{{Cite book|author= Turnbull, Stephen |illustrator= Reynolds, Wayne |title= Mongol Warrior 1200–1350 |edition= 1st |year= 2003 |publisher= Osprey Publishing |location= London |isbn= 1-84176-583-X |page= 30 |capital= Mongol campaign Life}}</ref> However, the first restaurant recipe for steak tartare did not appear until 1938.<ref>Prosper Montagné (1938), "''Larousse gastronomique''"</ref> While not providing a clear name, the first description of steak tartare was made by the writer [[Jules Verne]] in 1875 in his novel ''[[Michael Strogoff]]''. There are certain similarities between steak tartare and the German dishes [[Labskaus]] and [[Mett]]. Other similar raw, chopped meats appeared in the 20th century, such as the Italian [[carpaccio]], which itself was invented in 1930 at [[Harry's Bar (Venice)|Harry's Bar]] in Venice.<ref name="cipriani">{{Cite book|author=Cipriani, Arrigo |title=Harry's Bar: The Life and Times of the Legendary Venice Landmark |year=1996 |publisher=Arcade |location=New York |isbn=1-55970-259-1}}</ref> Similarly, one of the oldest documents referencing a Hamburgh Sausage appeared in 1763 in the cookbook entitled ''[[Art of Cookery|Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy]]'' written by [[Hannah Glasse]] (1708–1770). Hamburgh Sausage is made with minced meat and a variety of spices, including [[nutmeg]], [[cloves]], [[black pepper]], garlic, and salt, and is typically served with [[toast]]. A wide variety of traditional European dishes are also made with minced meat, such as [[meatloaf]],<ref name="Boston" /> the [[Serbia]]n [[pljeskavica]], the Arab [[kofta]], and [[Swedish meatball|meatball]]s. |
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While ground beef was used by various cultures in Europe and Central Asia, the hamburger's other vital ingredient, bread, has a [[history of bread|different history]]. Among its many uses, bread has often been used to accompany other foods, but the description of the word ''[[sandwich]]'' was not recorded until the 18th century. Despite the many versions of the invention of the sandwich that are claimed by many cultures, the sandwich was given its name around the year 1765 in honor of the English aristocrat [[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich]], who preferred to eat sandwiches so that he could play cards without soiling his fingers.<ref>{{Cite book|author= Rodger, N. A. M. |title= The Insatiable Earl: A Life of John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich 1718–1792 |edition= 1st |year= 1994 |publisher= W W Norton & Co Inc |isbn= 0-393-03587-5 |page= 480 }}</ref> However, it was not until 1840 when Elizabeth Leslie Cook included a sandwich recipe in her cookbook that it appeared in the local [[cuisine of the United States]].<ref>{{Cite book|author= Leslie, Elizabeth |title= Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches| url = http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=9624 |accessdate= 12/24/2008 |year= 1840 |publisher= E. L. Carey & A. Hart}}</ref> Bread had always been part of the development of many types of foods, including [[sauce]]s, such as those described by [[Marie-Antoine Carême]] in his compendium entitled ''L'art de la cuisine française au XIXe siècle''. |
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===Hamburg and its port=== |
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[[File:Hamburger Hafen 1890.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The port of [[Hamburg]] in the 1890s.]] |
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Minced meat was a rare delicacy in [[medieval cuisine]], and meat itself was an ingredient restricted to the higher classes.<ref>Alan Beardsworth, Teresa Keil, (1997), "''Sociology on the Menu: An Invitation to the Study of Food and Society''", Ed. Routledge</ref> Very little [[mincing]] was done by medieval butchers or recorded in the [[cookbook]]s of the time, perhaps because it was not a necessary part of the [[sausage]]-making process that was used to preserve meat. Russian ships brought recipes for steak tartare to the [[port of Hamburg]] during the 17th century,<ref>{{Cite book|author= Clapp, Edwin J. |title= The Port of Hamburg |edition= 1st |year= 1952 |publisher= Yale University Press}}</ref> a time when there was such an abundant presence of Russian citizens there that it came to be called "the Russian port." The commercial transactions of the [[Hanseatic League]] conducted between the 13th and 17th centuries made this port one of the largest in Europe. Its commercial importance was further heightened as it became vital to the early transatlantic voyages of the [[Steam power during the Industrial Revolution|age of steam]]. During the period of [[European colonization of the Americas]], a large influx of immigrants to this port became a kind of "bridge" between the old European recipes and the future development of the hamburger in the United States.<ref name="Cummings" /> |
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During the first half of the 19th century, Hamburg established itself as one of the largest transatlantic ports in Europe as it became a [[Transport hub|hub]] for both passenger and freight shipping. Most of the northern European emigrants who traveled to the [[New World]] embarked on their transatlantic voyages from this port. Thus, the German shipping company [[Hamburg America Line]], also known as the ''Hamburg Amerikanische Paketfahrt Actien-Gesellschaft'' (HAPAG), was involved in transporting goods and people across the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] for almost a century.<ref name="Moch" /> The company began operations in 1847 and employed many German immigrants, many of them fleeing the [[revolutions of 1848 in Germany|revolutions of 1848–9]]. The vast majority of settlers and emigrants from various parts of northern Europe began their voyages to the United States from Hamburg, introducing their culinary customs to their host country.<ref name="Moch">{{Cite book|author= Moch, Leslie Page |title= Moving Europeans: Migration in Western Europe Since 1650 |edition= 2nd |year= 2003 |publisher= Indiana University Press |isbn= 0-253-21595-1}}</ref> New York City was the most common destination for ships traveling from [[Hamburg]], and various restaurants in the city began offering the Hamburg-style steak in order to attract German sailors. The steak frequently appeared on the menu as a ''Hamburg-style American fillet'',<ref>{{Cite book|author= Ranhofer, Charles |title= The Epicurean: A Complete Treatise of Analytical & Practical Studies |edition= 1st |year= 1894 |id= B00085H6PE}}</ref><ref name="Ozersky">{{Cite book|author= Ozersky, Josh |title= The Hamburger: A History (Icons of America) |edition= 1st |year= 2008 |publisher= Yale University Press |location= London |isbn= 0-300-11758-2}}</ref> or even ''beefsteak à Hambourgeoise''. This history caused American preparations of minced beef to evoke in European immigrants memories of the port of Hamburg and the world they left behind.<ref name="Moch" /> |
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===Hamburg steak=== |
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In the late 19th century, the Hamburg steak, a dish that can be considered a precursor to the hamburger, became popular on the menus of many restaurants in the [[Port of New York and New Jersey|port of New York]]. This kind of fillet was beef minced by hand, lightly salted and often smoked, and usually served raw in a dish along with onions and [[bread crumbs]].<ref>1802, "''Oxford English Dictionary''"</ref><ref name="Theodora">{{Cite book|author= Fitzgibbon, Theodora |title= The Food of the Western World: An Encyclopedia of Food from North America and Europe |edition= 1st |year= 1976 |month= January |publisher= Random House Inc |location= London |isbn= 0-8129-0427-3}}</ref> It is quite possible that German immigrants brought their own customs to the new world and, more specifically, their new cities and towns of residence.<ref name="Giovanni">Prof. Giovanni Ballarini, "''The Origin of Hamburgers and Ketchup''"</ref> The oldest document that refers to the Hamburg steak is a [[Delmonico's Restaurant]] menu from 1873 which offered customers an 11-cent plate of Hamburg steak that had been developed by American chef [[Charles Ranhofer]] (1836–1899). This price can be considered high for the time, and it was twice the price of a simple fillet of beef steak.<ref name="Ozersky" /><ref>Food in American History, Part 6 – Beef (Part 1): Reconstruction and Growth into the 20th Century (1865–1910), by Louis E. Grivetti, PhD, Jan L. Corlett, PhD, Bertram M. Gordon, PhD, and Cassius T. Lockett, PhD</ref> However, the Hamburg steak was gaining popularity because of its ease of preparation as well as a reduction in its cost by the end of the century. This rising popularity is evident from its inclusion in some of the most popular cookbooks of the day, which mention the Hamburg steak in detail.<ref name="Boston">{{Cite book|author= Farmer, Fannie Merritt |title= Boston Cooking-School Cookbook |year= 1896 |publisher= Gramercy (ed. 1997) |isbn= 0-517-18678-0}}</ref> There are documents that show that this preparation style was used for meat by 1887 in some U.S. restaurants, and was also used for feeding patients in hospitals. These documents reveal that the Hamburg steak was served raw or lightly cooked and was accompanied by a raw [[egg (food)|egg]].<ref>{{Cite book|author= Murrey, Thomas Jefferson |title= Cookery for Invalids |url= http://www.google.com/books?pg=PA30&dq=Hamburg+steak&id=YjgFAAAAYAAJ#PPA1,M1 |format= PDF |accessdate= 09/03/2009 |edition= 1st |year= 1887 |publisher= White Stokes & Allen |location= New York City |isbn= |pages= 30–33 |chapter= Eating Before Sleeping}}</ref> |
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The menus of many American restaurants during the 19th century included a Hamburg beefsteak that was often sold to the public for breakfast.<ref name="Grace">Roger M. Grace, "''Old Menus Tell the History of Hamburgers''", Los Angeles, CA Metropolitan New-Enterprise newspaper</ref> A variant of Hamburg steak is the famous ''[[Salisbury steak]]'', which is usually served with a sauce such as [[gravy]], similar in texture to [[brown sauce]]. Invented by Dr. [[James Salisbury]] (1823–1905), the term ''Salisbury steak'' has been used in the United States since 1897.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salisbury%20steak |title=Salisbury steak |accessdate=01/28/2009 |work=Merriam-Webster Online}}</ref> Nowadays, in the city of Hamburg as well as in parts of [[northern Germany]], this type of dish is called [[Frikadelle]], Frikandelle, or Bulette, which is similar to the meatball. Regardless, the word ''Hamburger'' is the [[adjective|adjectival form]] for the city of Hamburg in both English and German. The term ''hamburger steak'' was replaced by ''hamburger'' by 1930, which has in turn been somewhat displaced by the simpler term, ''burger''.<ref name="Merriam">{{Cite book|author= Merriam-Webster |title= The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories |volume= I |year= 1995 |publisher= Merriam-Webster |isbn= 0-87779-603-3 |pages= 210–211}}</ref> The latter term is now commonly used as a suffix to create new words for the different variants of the hamburger, including [[cheeseburger]], [[porkburger]], [[bacon]]burger and [[moose]]burger. There are other foods with names derived from German cities, but they are often shortened in different ways in [[American English]]. An example of this is the [[Hot dog|frankfurter]], which is often abbreviated as ''frank''.<ref name="Merriam" /> |
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==Invention== |
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[[File:DaviesStallStLawrenceMarket.jpg|300px|thumb|left|William Davies Company stall at the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, Canada. Scenes such as this became common during the early twentieth century in the United States and Canada as the meat market grew rapidly.]] |
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Many recipes and dishes traveled along with the transatlantic immigrants to their destinations in the New World. Some authors question whether the [[Hamburg America Line]] provided such transplantation of the hamburger to the Americas, arguing that its creation was in response to needs that arose spontaneously for American colonists.<ref name="Ozersky" /><ref name="Parker" /> Others, however, support the thesis that the Hamburg America Line brought the first Hamburger steaks from Europe to the Americas.<ref name="Theodora" /><ref name="Decsy">{{Cite book|author= Decsy, Ayula |title= Hamburger for America and the World: A Handbook of the Transworld Hamburger Culture |edition= 1st |volume= 3 |year= 1984 |publisher= Eurolingua |isbn= 0-931922-15-1}}</ref> Nonetheless, the hamburger that is known today has multiple invention claims occurring between 1885 and 1904, but what cannot be disputed is that it was very much the product of the early 20th century.<ref name="Smith">{{Cite book|author= Smith, Andrew F. |title= Hamburger: A Global History |edition= 1st |year= 2008 |month= November |publisher= Reaktion Books |isbn= 1-86189-390-6}}</ref> During the following one hundred years, the hamburger spread throughout the world as a result of the emerging concept of fast food and a new business model: the [[Chain store|franchise]]. |
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===North America=== |
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{{See also|History of the hamburger in the United States}} |
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[[File:1913 five cents rev.jpg|150px|thumb|A nickel was the standard price of a hamburger for decades in the United States.]] |
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The industrial use of mechanical meat shredding was the technical advance that helped popularize the Hamburg steak. The invention of the first [[meat grinder]] occurred in the early 19th century by the German engineer [[Karl Drais]]. The machine made it possible for minced meat to be sold at market in large quantities at reasonable prices. By 1845, numerous patents existed for improved meat grinders in the United States.<ref>E. Wade registered Patent Number x5348 on January 26, 1829 for an instrument entitled "Meat Cutter"</ref><ref>G. A. Coffman of Virginia received Patent Number 3935 on February 28, 1845 for an "Improvement in Machines for Cutting Sausage-Meat"</ref> These machines could all shred meat to sizes unimaginable before their invention. Before this time, minced meat was prepared by hand at home using special [[chisel]]s made specifically for that purpose, a process that severely limited the amount of ground beef that could be produced because of the intensive amount of manual work.<ref name="SusanW">{{Cite book|author= Williams, Susan |title= Food in the United States, 1820s–1890 |edition= 1st |year= 2006 |month= August |publisher= Greenwood Press |location= New York |isbn= 0-313-33245-2}}</ref> It is very likely that the invention of the meat grinder contributed directly to the popularization of Hamburg steak as the steak gradually distanced itself from its German roots in the minds of many Americans at that time.<ref name="Ozersky" /> Minced meat has also come to be used in other popular American foods, including [[hot dog]]s and [[meatloaf]].<ref name="SusanW" /> |
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Another development that facilitated the invention and popularization of the proto-hamburger was the increased ability to produce beef through the intensification of livestock. By the late 19th century, an increasing amount of land was being devoted to cattle and a growing number of people were being employed as [[cowboy]]s, resulting in the United States becoming one of the world's largest producers and consumers of beef.<ref name="Cummings">{{Cite book|author= Osborn Cummings, Richard |title= The American and His Food (The Rise of urban America) |edition= 1st |year= 1970 |month= June |publisher= Ayer Co Pub |isbn= 0-405-02445-2}}</ref> The 1880s were declared ''The Golden Age of Beef'', during which the abundance of rural beef production made its transportation by rail from agricultural to urban areas absolutely vital. From this necessity came various methods of meat preservation, which helped bring the consumption of fresh meat to urban and industrialized areas of the United States, among them [[refrigerator car]]s as well as different methods of packaging meat (such as [[corned beef]]), which were promoted by industrialists such as [[Gustavus Swift]] (1839–1903). Around this time, the city of Chicago, along with other cities on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], became a focal point for the large-scale production of beef. The beef was already an inexpensive resource at that time, and it was available to the working class. This allowed the Hamburg steak to be within the reach of the vast majority of the population, giving rise to what some authors jokingly call the "American beef dream".<ref name="Ozersky" /> In this era, the number of [[steakhouse]]s that specialized in serving beef in the form of steaks increased markedly; some restaurants even served steak along with seafood, in a dish known as [[Surf and turf]]. |
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The high production and consumption of beef cattle in the United States made the [[meat industry]] increasingly powerful by the end of the 19th century.<ref name="SusanW" /> [[Corporate corruption|Corruption]] problems soon arose at various companies in the meat industry, problems that endangered the health and hygiene of the meat. At the beginning of the 20th century, [[Upton Sinclair]] published ''[[The Jungle]]'', a novel which tells fictional stories about conspiracies and corruption in the American meat industry, intended as a veiled criticism of the industry itself. The book raised popular awareness about the safety of meat processing and helped lead to the creation of the [[Pure Food and Drug Act]], which was sponsored by the [[Food and Drug Administration]]. ''The Jungle'' was a milestone in the subsequent history of the hamburger, as it led the American public to force restaurant chains to prove the health of their cooked meat.<ref name="Ozersky" /> In 1933, Arthur Kallett published a similar book, entitled ''100 million guinea pigs; Dangers in Everyday foods, drugs, and cosmetics'', which warned consumers specifically about the content [[preservative]]s in hamburgers. |
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===Controversial origins=== |
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[[File:McDonald's BigMac ja-1.jpg|300px|thumb|The [[Big Mac]] marked an evolution in the image of the hamburger.]] |
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The exact origin of the hamburger is unknown and may never be known with any certainty. Most historians believe that it was invented by a cook who placed a Hamburg steak between two slices of bread. It is difficult to determine who first had the idea for the hamburger, because there is no written record about its creation, as only verbal descriptions and direct statements to the local press exist to support the various claims of invention. |
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However, all claims made by the potential inventors of the hamburger occurred between 1885 and 1904, focusing all attention of its creation onto these two decades. Despite the various stories about the origins of the hamburger, there are common elements in all of the narratives, most notably that the hamburger was born as a food associated with major events such as [[amusement park]]s, [[fair]]s, [[Meeting|conferences]], and festivals. All the hypotheses also share the presence of [[street vendor]]s. |
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One of the possible fathers of the hamburger is [[Charlie Nagreen]] (1870–1951) of [[Seymour, Wisconsin]], who at the age of 15 sold Hamburg steaks from a street stall at the annual Outagamie County Fair. Nagreen said he began by selling Hamburg steaks, but these did not have much success because people wanted to freely move around the festival without the need to eat them at his stand. In response to this, in 1885 Nagreen decided to flatten the hamburger steak and insert it between two slices of bread, so that the public could move freely from booth to booth while eating his sandwich, an innovation that was well received by his customers.<ref>Heuer, Myron (October 12, 1999). "The real home of the hamburger". [[Herald & Journal]].</ref> This became known as the "Hamburger Charlie", and Nagreen's creation was sold at the festival until his death in 1951. To this day, his accomplishment is celebrated annually with a "Burger Fest" in his honor in his hometown of Seymour. |
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Another alleged inventor of the hamburger is the cook Fletcher Davis (better known as "Old Dave"), who claimed to have had the idea of putting ground beef between bread at the end of 1880 in [[Athens, Texas]]. Fletcher had a stall with his wife at the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition|St. Louis World's Fair]] of 1904. Texan journalist [[Frank X. Tolbert]] mentions a salesman named Fletcher Davis who served hamburgers in a café at 115 Tyler Street in Athens during the late 1880s.<ref>Tolbert, F. X. (1983). "The Henderson county hamburger" In Tolbert's Texas, 130–136. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author= Herbst, Sharon Tyler |coauthors= Ron Herbst |title= The New Food Lover's Companion |edition= 4th |year= 2007 |publisher= Ron Herbst |location= New York |isbn= 0-7641-3577-5}}</ref> The locals claim that Davis was selling beef sandwiches during that time, without having a clear name for his invention. During the 1980s, the [[Dairy Queen]] [[ice cream]] chain filmed a documentary about the birthplace of the hamburger featuring Davis' story. |
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In the same year that Charlie Nagreen claimed to have developed his "Hamburger Charlie", the brothers and street cooks Frank and Charles Menches of [[Akron, Ohio]] claimed to have sold a ground beef [[sandwich]] at the [[Erie County Fair]].<ref name="Parker">{{Cite book|author= Talwar, Jennifer Parker |title= Fast Food, Fast Track: Immigrants, Big Business, And The American Dream |edition= 1st |year= 2003 |month= July |publisher= Westview Press |location= New York |isbn= 0-8133-4155-8}}</ref> According to the brothers, the name of the hamburger derived from the town [[Hamburg (town), New York|Hamburg]], New York in [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]], the first place in which it had been sold. This statement has been very poorly documented or substantiated, and in the case of an oral tradition, it is not without its contradictions. Its famous description of the [[secret ingredient]]s used in the recipes, such as coffee or [[brown sugar]], is primitive. |
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Another version of the creation of the hamburger is that of German cook Otto Kuasw, who created a very popular sailors' sandwich made of a fillet of beef patty fried in butter, served with a [[fried egg]], between two [[toast|toasted buns]] in 1891, at a post in [[Hamburg]], Germany. The sandwich was called the "Deutsches Beefsteak", German for "German beefsteak". Many of the sailors traveling on ships between Hamburg and New York requested a similar "Hamburg style" sandwich at American steakhouses. |
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Some sources say that the hamburger could have been created in [[New Haven, Connecticut]] in 1895. A local newspaper claims that Louis Lassen, a Danish immigrant who arrived in America in 1880, sold butter and eggs as a street vendor. In 1974, in an [[interview]] with ''[[The New York Times]]'', he recounted how he created a hamburger steak sandwich with small strips of beef for a restaurant known as [[Louis' Lunch]]. Lassen's family claims 1900 as the year of his invention. Revealed in a public confrontation between the grandson of Louis, Kenneth Davis Lassen Fletch, and his uncle, documentation signed under notary in 1900 demonstrates the development of the hamburger, as it stresses the difference between a "hamburger steak" and a "hamburger sandwich".<ref>Review Staff. Sept. 25, 1991. Can you believe some dispute us? Athens (TX) Daily Review, We won, now we celebrate – newspaper guide to hamburger cookoff.</ref> Louis' Lunch flame broils the hamburgers in the original vertical [[cast iron]] [[gas stoves]] manufactured by the Bridge and Beach, Co., [[St. Louis, Missouri]] in 1898. The stoves use hinged steel wire [[Gridiron (cooking)|gridirons]] to hold the hamburgers in place while they [[cooking|cook]] simultaneously on both sides. The gridirons were made by Luigi Pieragostini and patented in 1938.<ref>[http://www.google.com/patents?id=LRhJAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=pieragostini+broiler&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=0_1#PPA1,M1 U.S. Patent #2,148,879]</ref> |
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===Ingredients=== |
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[[File:Flickr sfllaw 294135367--Cheeseburger Meal.jpg|250px|thumb|left|The modern hamburger with its familiar sides, French fries and a drink.]] |
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Hamburg steak, once served between two loaves of bread, began to be prepared with a variety of different ingredients that were included either in the sandwich itself or as a side dish accompanying it on a plate. One of these accompaniments, which is still common with today's burger, is [[ketchup]], a type of [[tomato sauce]] with a blend of [[flavor]]s between [[sweet]] and [[sour]] that was first produced commercially in 1869 by entrepreneur and chef [[Henry John Heinz]] in [[Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania]]. His company was originally called the ''Anchor Pickle and Vinegar Works'', but in 1888 it was renamed [[H. J. Heinz Company|F. & J. Heinz]].<ref name="Kurlansky">{{Cite book| author=Kurlansky, Mark | title=Salt: A World History | year=2003 | publisher = Penguin | isbn=978-0-8027-1373-5}}</ref> The use of ketchup by American consumers grew quickly after this date, and it was not long before hamburgers were almost universally accompanied by ketchup by the end of the nineteenth and into the early 20th century.<ref name="Giovanni" /><ref name="Rozin" /> [[Mustard (condiment)|Mustard]] is a significantly older [[condiment]], as it is thought that the [[ancient Rome|ancient Romans]] used a dressing made with non-fermented grapes and [[grape seed]]s known as "mustum ardens".<ref name="McGee">{{Cite book|author= McGee, Harold |title= On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen |edition= rev. |year= 2004| publisher= Scribner |location= New York |isbn= 0-684-80001-2}}</ref> Another ingredient incorporated into the burger, [[mayonnaise]], appears to have been present in 18th century France, after the naval victory of [[Louis-François-Armand du Plessis de Richelieu]] in the port of [[Mahón]] in [[Menorca]] around 1756.<ref>David, E. (1960). "French Provincial Cooking" (1999 edition) p.120</ref> |
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Among the vegetables that come with the hamburger, the first described in the literature on its history is the onion, usually finely sliced in rings.<ref name="ilustra" /><ref name="Ingram" /> Thus, the hamburger came to continue the long American tradition of sandwiches featuring some kind of plant product, whether that be lettuce (as in the case of the [[BLT sandwich]]), [[sauerkraut]] (as on the [[reuben sandwich|reuben]]), [[coleslaw]], or [[pickled cucumber|pickles]]. It is possible that after the creation of the hamburger by uniting the steak with the bread, vegetables were included to give the finished product a more "natural" appearance and taste.<ref name="Rozin" /> All of these condiments were incorporated into the classical image of the hamburger during its golden age, the 1940s.<ref name="Rozin" /> In some cases, the hamburger is prepared differently and distinctly to add regional flavor, as in the case of [[Tex-Mex]] style burgers, which are served with a side of [[chili con carne]]. |
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[[French fries]] are an invention of the [[Low Countries]],<ref name="Jo" /><ref name="Andrew">{{Cite book|author= Smith, Andrew F. |title= Encyclopedia of junk food and fast food |edition= 1st |year= 2006 |publisher= Greenwood Press |isbn= 0-313-33527-3}}</ref> and Belgian historian Jo Gerard mentions that they originated around 1680 in both Belgium and the [[Spanish Netherlands]], specifically in the area of "the [[Meuse (river)|Meuse valley]] between [[Dinant]] and [[Liège]]". The people of this region used to prepare meals with small amounts of [[fried fish]], but when the river froze over and fishing became impossible, they would cut up potatoes and fry them in [[animal fat|animal oil]].<ref name="Jo">{{Cite book|author= Gerard, Jo |title= La Belgique 1830–1980 |edition= 1st |year= 1979 |publisher= Meddens |location= Brussels |language= French |isbn= 2-87013-035-X}}</ref> French fries were introduced as a [[snack]] in American cafés during the early 19th century,<ref name="Andrew" /> but they did not become popular until large fast food companies such as [[McDonald's]] and [[Burger King]] incorporated them into their menus during the mid-20th century. The improvements in [[frozen food|potato freezing]] technology made by [[J.R. Simplot]] of [[Idaho City]] in 1953, made the large scale production of French fries possible. Before the potatoes were frozen, however, they had still lost some of their flavor during frying, but new processes such as a further improved Simplot invention avoided this inconvenience by 1967, largely thanks to the use of a mixture of cow [[tallow]] and [[soybean oil]].<ref name="Andrew" /> This allowed Simplot and McDonald's founder [[Ray Kroc]] to collaborate, resulting in ready-peeled potatoes from Simplot's farms being delivered directly to McDonald's kitchens, where they were fried and served to customers. Initially, however, there were safety concerns raised over some fries and the kitchens in which they were prepared, leading some companies, such as [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle]], to remove them from their menus during the 1950s.<ref name="Andrew" /> |
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At the end of the 19th century, a new generation of [[cola]] emerged, a beverage that would soon join beer as the most traditional drinks served alongside the hamburger. The first recipe for [[Coca-Cola]] was invented in 1885 in [[Columbus, Georgia]] by grocer [[John Pemberton]].<ref>{{Cite book|author= Pendergrast, Mark |title= An unauthorized history traces the evolution of Coca-Cola from its quiet beginnings to the influential giant of today |edition= 1st |year= 1979 |publisher= Collier Books |location= New York |isbn= 0-684-82679-8}}</ref> Originally called [[coca wine]] (the trademark was "Pemberton's French Wine Coca"), it may have been inspired by the formidable success of [[Vin Mariani]], a European coca wine. In the late 19th century, it was sold as a [[bottle]]d [[soft drink]] in most of the United States. In the early 20th century, another beverage, [[Pepsi]], was created by [[pharmacist]] [[Caleb Bradham]] and quickly came to rival the sales of Coca-Cola. [[Strategic alliance]]s between large burger restaurant chains and these two soft drink companies greatly increased the beverages' availability to the general public. |
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==Commercialization== |
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[[File:Mass-produced hamburgers.jpg|250px|thumb|left|The hamburger solved the technical problem of mass-producing semi-processed food.]] |
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The dawn of the 20th century witnessed the need to provide food for people living in highly productive urban centers with high population densities. Food also had to be economically affordable for the working class in order for them to maintain their [[Employment|labor]] and industrial production. The burger was born in a time when people needed to eat both "fast" and "cheap".<ref>{{Cite book|author= Grew, Raymond |title= Food In Global History |edition= 1st |year= 2000 |publisher= Westview Press |location= New York |isbn= 0-8133-3884-0}}</ref> Technological advances in the field of [[food preservation]], as well as improvements in agricultural production and transportation, made it possible for hamburgers to be a practical choice of food for urban dwellers since their very creation. The [[socio-economic]] environment of the United States at the time of the burger's rise to popularity coincided with the end of World War I and the beginning of the [[Great Depression]] of 1929. This environment was particularly favorable for fostering inexpensive food, which was one reason why five-cent hamburgers were so popular. After its invention during the first decade of the 20th century, the hamburger came to be marketed on a large scale, after "visionaries" realized that it would benefit greatly from a mass production process.<ref name="selling" /> |
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The first automobile [[production line]] was created by [[Karl Benz]] in Germany in 1888. The widespread appearance of telephones occurred at the beginning of the 20th century, along with other modern means of communication, including radio. For the average American who had not eaten in a restaurant in his or her entire life,<ref>{{Cite book|author= Pillsbury, Richard |title= From Boarding House to Bistro: The American Restaurant Then and Now |edition= 1st |year= 1990 |publisher= Unwin Hyman |isbn= 0-04-445680-8}}</ref> the fast food chains that appeared in the cities offered an alternative form of restaurant in which eating was very much a public activity. The concept of a "[[greasy spoon]]" was thus born with these restaurants, in which [[hygiene]] suffered in exchange for more inexpensive food. On the other hand, there was a growing [[interconnected]] world in which trips by car, bus, and rail became increasingly available. All these means of transport were improving at the time, and soon it was necessary to feed a growing population that was "in permanent transit", frequently moving through different cities [[business travel|on business]].<ref name="Parker" /><ref name="Schlosser" /> [[George Pullman]] invented the [[sleeping car]] and the [[dining car]] in response to the needs of these people in the 1870s. Similarly, the English immigrant [[Fred Harvey (entrepreneur)|Frederick Henry Harvey]] was the first to use "dynamic mass movement" in restoring the [[Fred Harvey Company]], which catered to the patrons of a chain of hotels located near railway stations, as well as offering catering, services, and high quality products on the trains themselves.<ref name="selling" /> |
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Contemporary American society also witnessed the creation of new fast foods that originated from the traditional cuisine of various ethnic groups from around the world. For example, [[German Americans|German immigrant]] Charles Feltman invented the [[hot dog]] in 1867 in his stall in [[Coney Island]], New York by pairing a [[Hot dog|frankfurter]] with a bread bun.<ref>{{Cite book|author= Bly, Robert W. |title= All-American Frank: A History of the Hot Dog |edition= 1st |year= 2007 |publisher= PublishAmerica |location= New York |isbn= 1-4137-5062-1}}</ref> Imitators such as Harry Magley and Charles Stevens soon began selling hot dogs at [[New York Yankees|New York Polo Grounds]] baseball games. Similarly, [[Italian Americans|Italian immigrants]] sold [[ice cream]] from vending carts in the streets or pasta at their restaurants. [[Chinese Americans|Chinese immigrants]] initially opened restaurants to cater to their fellow Chinese-Americans, but they gradually became accepted by the American clientele, sometimes resulting in truly Chinese-American cuisine such as [[chop suey]]. In this diverse world of ethnic foods, the hamburger was able to rise to mainstream popularity and become a national food of the United States. |
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===White Castle System=== |
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{{Main|White Castle (restaurant)}} |
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[[File:White Castle Building 8.jpg|250px|thumb|White Castle No. 8 in [[Minneapolis]], Minnesota.]] |
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On November 16, 1916, chef and entrepreneur Walter "Walt" Anderson opened a hamburger stand in [[Wichita, Kansas]] that used hygienic cooking methods, including [[grilling|grills]] and [[spatula]]s, and impressed his Wichita customers so much that many would become regular patrons. At this time, the hamburger was still not widely known by the American public. Anderson added [[onion ring]]s to the burgers while they grilled, giving them a distinctive flavor.<ref name="Ingram" /> As demand increased, customers often bought his hamburgers by the [[dozen]], giving rise to the company's subsequently popular [[slogan]]: "buy 'em by the sack". Despite some growth, Anderson had opened only four stands in the busiest areas of the city. In 1926, Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram collaborated with Anderson to open the first [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle restaurant]] in Wichita. The restaurant was founded on the idea of cooking a hamburger quickly, giving it the honor of being the first [[fast food restaurant]]. |
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Ingram soon realized that the word ''burger'' evoked connotations of [[circus]] performances at livestock markets and greasy pieces of meat eaten in the poorest districts of the city in the collective mind of the American public. He tried to change those connotations from White Castle's earliest days. At the same time, he became known to some as the [[Henry Ford]] of the hamburger,<ref name="Ozersky" /> while inventing a restaurant concept he called the "White Castle System", which helped the hamburger achieve fame.<ref name="selling" /> Between 1923 and 1931, the "White Castle System" established almost a hundred restaurants in cities throughout the [[Midwestern United States]]. In order to raise awareness among White Castle employees, a [[newsletter]] entitled "The hot hamburger" was circulated throughout the company, which challenged the employees to improve the sale of the burgers with a simple idea: to be able to prepare burgers rapidly so anyone could purchase and eat them anytime and anywhere. Instead of waiting for half an hour to be served at a traditional restaurant, the White Castle System provided rapid service and a menu centered around the hamburger. At the time, the hamburger was typically served with coffee.<ref name="selling" /> [[Upton Sinclair]]'s ''[[The Jungle]]'' had already caused public outrage over the safety of processed meat, so by the 1920s, the general public had come to expect a clean and hygienic hamburger. In addition to offering clean and safe food, White Castle offered regularity and standardization, ensuring that each patty was served in the same manner in each restaurant. At the time, this was an entirely novel idea that would revolutionize the sale of food itself with a style that would come to be known as fast food.<ref name="selling">{{Cite book|author= Hogan, David |title= Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food |edition= 1st |year= 1997 |publisher= NYU Press |location= New York |isbn= 0-8147-3566-5}}</ref> During its early years, White Castle emphasized providing quality coffee, and collaborated with universities to publish studies on the nutritional quality of their hamburgers. |
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The success of the White Castle chain was rooted largely in the power of propaganda, something that was both an original innovation and necessary to change the public's negative perception of the hamburger.<ref name="selling" /> In 1931, it became the first restaurant to [[newspaper advertisement|advertise in newspapers]], using its old "buy 'em by the sack" slogan. White Castle also pioneered the concept of [[take-out]] service, and the restaurant is further known for being the first to market square burgers, called "[[slider (sandwich)|sliders]]", which were sold for five cents into the 1940s.<ref name="selling" /> White Castle was founded in March 1921 in Wichita, Kansas by Billy Ingram and his business partner, the cook Walter Anderson, and they opened a second restaurant in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] in 1924. In 1932, White Castle created its first subsidiary: Paperlynen Company, which provided the [[carton]]s and [[wrapping paper]] that the food was served in, as well as the hats worn by the kitchen staff. It acquired [[porcelain]] companies in a similar fashion, placing them in charge of building small White Castle restaurants using white porcelain facades. |
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Walter Anderson contributed a number of novel ideas to White Castle during its early years, including the creation of a special [[spatula]] and a special bread for the burgers. In 1949, an employee named Earl Howell calculated the amount of time that it took to break hamburgers apart in a presentable fashion, eventually leading him to create the [[perforated]] burger. By 1951, White Castle had incorporated five perforations into its burgers.<ref name="Ingram">{{Cite book|author= Ingram, E. W. |title= All This from a 5-cent Hamburger! The Story of the White Castle System |edition= 1st |year= 1964 |publisher= The Newcomen Society |location= New York}}</ref> Before Anderson, hamburgers were cooked on a grill for an indefinite period of time and minced meat balls were "crushed" into conventional [[sliced bread|slices of bread]], like a sandwich. The meat was frozen and hamburgers came to be cooked from frozen, instead of using fresh meat. White Castle revolutionized the burger-making process by regularizing the finished products and using hygienic preparation techniques that were in clear view of the customers.<ref name="Ingram" /> |
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White Castle had a very large progression of sales, and its success was such, that by 1926, it had already generated competitors and [[imitator]]s in the emerging hamburger business. One of these imitators also had a highly similar name, [[White Tower Hamburgers]] of [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]], founded by the father and son tandem of John E. and Thomas E. Saxe. The creation of White Tower led to numerous legal battles between it and White Castle during the 1930s. By 1930, White Castle already had 116 restaurants spread over a distance of {{convert|2,300|km|mi}}, all of which were located within the United States. [1] The company eventually became a large restaurant chain, however, there has never been a restaurant outside of the United States.<ref name="Parker" /> The American [[shortage]] of beef during World War II had little effect on sales across White Castle, due to the effect of [[vertical integration]] along with the appearance of fast food chains that operated on a [[franchising|franchise]] model that emphasized [[horizontal integration]].<ref name="selling" /> |
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===McDonald's era=== |
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[[File:Find the differences (painting by Peter Klashorst).jpg|350px|thumb|In the 1960s, McDonald's advertised the ability of a customer to eat the same burger anywhere in the United States, and a few decades later it made the same feat possible in much of the world.]] |
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{{Main|McDonald's}} |
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In 1937, Patrick McDonald and his two sons [[Richard and Maurice McDonald|Richard and Maurice]] inaugurated the simple restaurant "Airdrome" on Huntington Drive (Route 66) near the airport in the American city of [[Monrovia, California#History|Monrovia, California]]. The success of its sales eventually led to the May 15, 1940, opening of a restaurant named [[McDonald's]] along [[U.S. Route 66]] in [[San Bernardino, California]]. After analyzing their sales, the brothers discovered that, to their surprise, 80% of their [[revenue]] was coming from selling hamburgers.<ref name="Kroc" /> The menu initially featured 25 different dishes, the majority of which were [[barbecue]]d. Through their new restaurant, the McDonald brothers introduced the notion of fast food to parts of the Western United States by 1948. From the beginning, McDonald's focused on making hot dogs and hamburgers as efficiently and quickly as possible.<ref name="Arcs">{{Cite book|author= Love, John F. |title= McDonald's: Behind The Arches |edition= 1st |year= 1995 |publisher= Bantam; Rev Sub edition |location= New York |isbn= 0-553-34759-4}}</ref><ref name="Kroc" /> During the 1940s, simple and formative concepts took root at McDonald's, including the preparation and service of burgers in just one minute and the ability for customers to eat in their own cars in a ''[[drive-in]]'' style. All the while, the restaurant was trying to further develop a hamburger that was inexpensive enough to be within the economic reach of most Americans. By the 1950s, the concept of drive-in style service had become firmly established and hamburgers and cars had become closely connected in the minds of many Americans. It was now not only possible for a customer to purchase a hamburger without getting out of a car, and a customer also no longer needed to wait to be served.<ref name="Arcs" /> The McDonald brothers built upon the achievements of their original San Bernardino restaurant when in 1953 they began franchising their now famous chain restaurants, starting in [[Phoenix, Arizona]] and [[Downey, California]] (the latter of which is [[Oldest McDonald's restaurant|still in operation]]). Later, [[Ray Kroc]] opened one in the northwest Chicago suburb of [[Des Plaines, Illinois]] on April 15, 1955, which has now been converted into the [[McDonald's USA First Store Museum|McDonald's Museum]].<ref name="Arcs" /> It is noteworthy that the original McDonald's [[mascot]] was a hamburger faced cook called "[[Speedee]]" that would serve as the iconographic identity of the company until being replaced by the clown [[Ronald McDonald]] in 1963. |
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The McDonald brothers intensively studied the existing kitchen protocol of their restaurants in an effort to improve them. They looked at different options that could increase the speed of cooking hamburgers, designing and patenting special [[grilling|grills]] that had a higher output, made their [[cutlery]] and other [[kitchen utensil]]s [[disposable]], and introduced [[dishwasher]]s that reduced the costs of water, soap, and [[Employment|labor]]. The brothers also created a detailed system for operating each kitchen throughout the franchise in a similar and largely standardized manner, as well as recruiting adolescents as employees in the kitchens.<ref name="Arcs" /> |
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The company began to expand at a much faster rate when 52-year old ice cream machinery salesman [[Ray Kroc]] took over as its chief executive.<ref name="Kroc">{{Cite book|author= Kroc, Ray |coauthor= Robert Anderson |title= Grinding it out |edition= 2nd |year= 1987 |publisher= St.Martins Press |location= New York |isbn= 0-312-92987-0}}</ref> Kroc was the initiator of both McDonald's expansion across the United States and the definitive standardization of its burgers. He was not alone, however, as some of his co-workers were also very productive and innovative. McDonald's executive and [[food scientist]] [[Herb Peterson]] invented the [[McMuffin]] in 1972 and also the now famous greeting, "May I have your order, please?". In another key development, Jim Delligatti of the [[Pittsburgh]] franchise invented the [[Big Mac]] in 1968. The McDonald's successful expansion was mainly due to its use of the franchise system, an innovation borrowed from a sewing machine manufacturer, the [[Singer Corporation]]. Singer had developed it during the late 19th century, and it was so successful that it was soon adopted by its competitors.<ref>{{Cite book|author= Langdon, Philip |title= Orange Roofs, Golden Arches |edition= 1st |year= 1986 |publisher= Knopf |location= New York |isbn= 0-394-74129-3}}</ref> Nowadays, McDonald's even has its own university for training its staff: [[Hamburger University]], located in [[Elk Grove, Illinois]]. Graduates receive a degree entitled "bachelor of hamburgerology with a minor in French fries".<ref name="Ries" /> As McDonald's expanded into other countries, it encountered more opposition and general difficulties, as was the case in 1996 when it opened a restaurant in New Delhi amid outcry from Indian leaders.<ref name="Asia">{{Cite book|editor= Watson, James |title= Golden Arches East: McDonald's in East Asia |edition= 2nd |year= 2006 |publisher= Stanford University Press |isbn= 0-8047-4989-2}}</ref> In 1995, the country with the most McDonald's restaurants (aside from the United States) was Japan, followed by Canada and Germany, while the company itself had restaurants in more than 100 countries.<ref name="Asia" /> Throughout its history, the company has become a symbol of [[globalization]] and [[Western culture]], sometimes resulting in it being the subject of [[anger]] and protests in various parts of the world.<ref name="McGlobal" /> |
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===Variants=== |
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[[File:VeggieBurgerKopfeckMunich.jpg|300px|thumb|left|A vegetarian version of the hamburger.]] |
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Many different variants of the hamburger have been created over the years, some of which have become very popular. Much of this diversity has been the product of other restaurant chains that have tried to reproduce the success of McDonald's and White Castle. An example of this phenomenon is [[Big Boy (restaurant)|Big Boy]], which was first opened in 1936 by [[Bob Wian]] in [[Glendale, California]] and known as [[Bob's Big Boy]].<ref>Bob's Big Boy of Burbank menu, January 2007</ref> It was at this restaurant that a major hamburger variant, the double cheeseburger, with two beef patties, was first made. Wian's creation was distinctively served by Big Boy restaurants with a slice of bread between two patties. By the 1960s, Big Boy had expanded throughout the United States and Canada. Despite the benefits it provided to Wian, the chain was sold along with the rights to their hamburger recipe to the [[Marriott Corporation]] in 1967. Another example of many McDonald's and White Castle imitators is [[Kewpee Hamburgers]], a fast-food chain founded in 1923 in [[Flint, Michigan]] by Samuel V. Blair as "[[Kewpee|Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs]]."<ref name="selling" /> |
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As with the invention of the hamburger, the exact origins of the [[cheeseburger]] are unknown. Several chefs claim to have been the first to add a slice of cheese to a hamburger. [[Lionel Sternberger]] of Rite Spot in [[Pasadena, California]] takes credit for the cheeseburger, claiming that he invented it between 1924 and 1926.<ref name="Rozin">{{Cite book|author= Rozin, Elisabeth |title= The Primal Cheeseburger: A Generous Helping of Food History Served On a Bun |edition= 1st |year= 1994 |publisher= Penguin Books |location= New York |isbn= 0-14-017843-0}}</ref> A description from a 1928 menu from the [[O'Dell]] Restaurant in Los Angeles reveals that it was serving burgers with slices of cheese at the time.<ref name="Edge" /> Luis Ballast, owner of the Humpty Dumpty drive-in restaurant in [[Denver]], Colorado, made an attempt to create a cheeseburger with a [[registered trademark]] known as a "yellowburger" in 1935. J.C. Reynolds, the operator of a bar in [[Southern California]] from 1932 to 1984, popularized a [[pimento]] burger.<ref name="Edge" /> [[Processed cheese]], the type of cheese most used in cheeseburgers, was invented in 1911 by Walter Gerber of [[Thun]], Switzerland, although the first U.S. patent awarded for it was given to [[James L. Kraft]] in 1916.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.emmi-fondue.ch/firma-f/firma-ents.htm |title = Emmi Fondue AG – Firma – Entstehung: |publisher = Emmi Fondue AG |accessdate= August 11, 2007}}</ref><ref name="KraftPatent">{{Cite web|url = http://www.kraft.com/100/innovations/kraftcheese.html |title = Patent reference at Kraft Foods |publisher = Kraft Foods |accessdate= August 11, 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070609232852/http://www.kraft.com/100/innovations/kraftcheese.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = June 9, 2007}}</ref> [[Kraft Foods]] went on to create the first commercial version of sliced processed cheese, which was first introduced to the market in 1950. |
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After World War II, a number of hamburger restaurants known as InstaBurger King (later [[Burger King]]) began emerging, the first of which was opened on December 4, 1954 in a suburb of Miami, Florida. It was established by [[James McLamore]] and [[David Edgerton]], both of whom were students at the [[Cornell University School of Hotel Administration]].<ref>{{Cite book|author= McLamore, James W. |title= The Burger King: Jim McLamore and the Building of an Empire |edition= 1st |year= 1997 |month= October |publisher= Mcgraw-Hill |isbn= 0-07-045255-5 }}</ref> McLamore had visited the original McDonald's in San Bernardino, California when it was still owned by the McDonald brothers, and saw the potential that existed for the [[mass production]] of hamburgers. He was so inspired by this visit that he decided to create a similar burger chain himself. By 1959, Burger King already had five restaurants in [[Miami metropolitan area|metropolitan Miami]], and its early success prompted McLamore and Edgerton to expand throughout the United States by using a [[franchising|franchise system]] that allowed them to grow the business at a relatively low cost. They formed Burger King Corporation as a parent company to the franchises they were selling throughout the United States.<ref name="answers">{{Cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/burger-king |title=History of Burger King Corporation |author=[http://www.fundinguniverse.com FundingUniverse.com] |publisher=Answers.com |accessdate=March 2, 2009}}</ref> [62] The Burger King Corporation was acquired by the [[Pillsbury Company]] in 1967, and during the 1970s, it began to expand outside the United States, principally in South America and Europe. [[Burger King]]'s core product has long been the [[Whopper]], which was created in 1957 by founder James McLamore and initially sold for 37 cents.<ref name="whopper">{{Cite web|url=http://bizjournals.bison.com/press/pr2-28-02bk.html |title=Burger King Celebrates As The WHOPPER Turns 45 |author=Burger King Corporation |publisher=BizJournals on Bison.com |date=February 8, 2002 |accessdate=March 1, 2009}}</ref> |
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[[Wendy's]] was founded by [[Dave Thomas (American businessman)|Dave Thomas]] and [[John T. Schuessler]] on November 15, 1969 in [[Columbus, Ohio]]. By the late 1970s, it had become the third largest hamburger company in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/McDonald%27s?cat=biz-fin |title=McDonald's |author=Hoovers.com |publisher=answers.com |accessdate=March 3, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bk.com/companyinfo/corporation/facts.aspx |title=Burger King Domestic and Global facts |accessdate=August 23, 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070521063359/http://www.bk.com/companyinfo/corporation/facts.aspx <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = May 21, 2007}}</ref> Wendy's has consistently tried to [[product differentiation|differentiate]] itself from other hamburger restaurants by its claim that it makes its burgers using fresh, not frozen, beef. Wendy's sparked a [[controversy]] and entered into American [[pop culture]] in the 1980s with its "[[Where's the beef?]]" advertising slogan and an accompanying campaign stressing the primacy of the beef patty over the hamburger's other ingredients. |
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==Culinary myth== |
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[[File:Wimpy TJB.jpg|250px|thumb|right|[[J. Wellington Wimpy]] (Wimpy), one of [[Popeye]]'s friends from a 1931 comic strip, had a tremendous craving for hamburgers.]] |
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The hamburger was very popular among Americans during the [[interwar period|postwar period]] following World War I,<ref name="Schlosser" /> even in popular culture. An example of this was the prominent appearance of hamburgers in [[E. C. Segar]]'s ''[[Thimble Theater]]'' [[comic strip]], which prominently featured a [[cartoon character]] named [[Popeye the Sailor]] who ate [[spinach]] to sustain his superhuman strength. Popeye's first appearance was as a [[supporting character]] on January 17, 1929 alongside many other characters. One of these characters was [[J. Wellington Wimpy]] (often shortened to just "Wimpy"), a lover of hamburgers who was both polite and gluttonous. His signature phrase, "I'll gladly pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today", became popular and widely known. During the height of his popularity in the 1930s, Wimpy introduced the hamburger to the youth of the time as a healthy food. It also resulted in the creation of a chain of fast food restaurants called [[Wimpy (restaurant)|Wimpy's]] in his honor, which sold hamburgers for ten cents.<ref name="Andrew" /> In a similar fashion, the fictional character [[Jughead Jones]], who first appeared in [[Archie Comics]] in 1941, was passionate about food generally, and hamburgers specifically. |
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Fictional characters related to the hamburger, such as the [[Ronald McDonald]] [[clown]] character designed by [[Willard Scott]] who first appeared on television in 1963,<ref name=heavyweights>{{cite episode | url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_iz/episode/0,3195,FOOD_31138_56604,00.html | title=Big Burger Business: McDonald's and Burger King | series=Heavyweights | network=[[Food Network]] | airdate=2009-02-27 | season=2 | number=3}}</ref> soon became a recognizable part of [[American culture]]. The burger also made appearances in [[underground comix]] such as [[Zap Comix#2]] during the late 1960s, in which cartoonist [[Robert Crumb]] designed a character called "Hamburger Hi-Jinx". By the end of the decade, [[pop art]] was including the hamburger as an artistic element, appearing in the works of [[Andy Warhol]] (''Dual Hamburger''), [[Claes Oldenburg]] (''Floor Burger''), [[Mel Ramos]] (''Vinaburger'', 1965), and more recently, [[David LaChapelle]] (''Death by Hamburger'', 2002). |
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An example of the popularity and identification that the burger enjoyed among the American public was the name of the [[Battle of Hamburger Hill]], which occurred in May 1969 during the [[Vietnam War]]. Its name was inspired by the number of American and [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]] casualties, which made the scene resembles a "butcher".<ref>Zaffiri, Samuel, (1988), ''Hamburger Hill, May 10–20, 1969'', ISBN 0-89141-706-0</ref> The hamburger was also the inspiration of [[Star Wars]] creator [[George Lucas]]'s design for the [[Millennium Falcon]] ship.<ref name="SW.comBTS">{{Cite web|url=http://www.starwars.com/databank/starship/millenniumfalcon/?id=bts|title=Star Wars: Databank: Millennium Falcon (Behind the Scenes)|publisher=starwars.com|accessdate=March 4, 2009}}</ref> Hamburgers also appear in computer games, as in the case of [[BurgerTime]], an [[arcade game|arcade-style game]] created in 1982 by [[Data East|Data East Corporation]]. The hamburger also appears prominently on [[Television in the United States|American television]] shows such as ''[[American Eats]]'' and ''[[Man v. Food]]''. |
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By the 1960s, American society had become highly [[automobile|motorized]], largely due to the 1956 [[Federal Highway Act]] passed by President [[Dwight Eisenhower]] and inspired by the [[German Autobahn]], as well as the impressive growth rates of American [[automobile manufacturer]]s at the time.<ref name="Ronald" /> Due to the extensive use of cars at the time, hamburgers were often served at [[drive-in]]s, often by waiters known as [[carhop]]s. Drive-in restaurants first appeared in the United States in the early 1930s, and gradually become a common sight across the country. The ability to serve hamburgers to customers in their cars was seen as a business opportunity by countless fast-food chains, especially [[McDonald's]].<ref name="Arcs" /> The popularity of the hamburger grew rapidly among the American population during this period, and statistics indicate that the average American was eating three burgers per week.<ref name="amer" /> |
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During the [[Cold War]], the hamburger became a [[national symbol]] of the United States. As private outdoor social events, often held in [[backyard]]s and featuring a [[barbecue]], became more widespread during the mid-1950s, the hamburger gained a new culinary and social relevance in the country.<ref name="Ronald">{{Cite book|author= McDonald, Ronald L. |title= The complete hamburger: The History of America's Favorite Sandwich |edition= 1st |year= 1997 |publisher= Citadel |location= London |isbn= 1-55972-407-2}}</ref><ref name="Decsy" /> By the late 1960s, hamburgers began to grow in size as various burger chains competed with each other, resulting in Burger King launching the [[Whopper]] and [[McDonald's]] launching the [[Quarter Pounder]]. As the race between the major chains grew more intense, the prices of their burgers increased, and the days when a hamburger could be bought for just a few cents were numbered. |
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In the 1970s, major hamburger chains began to use considerable resources in marketing their products. They began to compete directly with each other through their advertising, much of which was [[comparative advertising|comparative]] and often featured direct [[allusion]]s and comparisons.<ref name="Ries">{{Cite book|author= Ries, Al |coauthor= Jack Trout |title= Marketing Warfare |edition= 1st |year= 1997 |publisher= McGraw-Hill |location= New York |isbn= 0-07-052726-1}}</ref> The event came to be jokingly referred to as the "[[Burger Wars|burger war]]" by many Americans. By the end of the 1980s, the era of [[slogan]]s in large chain restaurants had begun. |
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==Global phenomenon== |
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[[File:Riceburger.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Vietnamese riceburger is a product of the globalization of the hamburger.]] |
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The modern hamburger was developed in the United States, but by the end of World War II, around the middle of the 20th century, it began to spread to other countries as fast food became [[globalization|globalized]].<ref name="Global" /> The main cause of this gradual globalization was the successes of the large [[restaurant chain]]s. Their desires to expand their businesses and increase their profits resulted in them creating [[Chain store|franchises]] around the world.<ref name="Global">{{Cite book|author= Inglis, David |title= The Globalization of Food |edition= 1st |year= 2009 |publisher= Berg Publishers |isbn= 1-84520-820-X}}</ref> [[McDonald's]] was among the very first of the burger chains to take the global establishment of its brand seriously,<ref name="McGlobal">{{Cite book|author= Ritzer, George |title= The McDonaldization of Society 5 |edition= 5th |year= 2007 |publisher= Pine Forge Press |isbn= 1-4129-5430-4}}</ref> but it was not the only one. [[Wimpy (restaurant)|Wimpy]] began operating in the United Kingdom in 1954, 20 years before McDonald's began operation in the country, and by 1970 it had expanded to over a thousand restaurants in 23 countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wimpy.uk.com/moments.htm |title=Wimpy Moments |publisher=wimpy.uk.com |accessdate=July 1, 2010}}</ref> On August 21, 1971, in [[Zaandam]], near [[Amsterdam]] in the Netherlands, [[Ahold]] opened its first European franchise. In the 1970s, McDonald's began to expand into Europe and Australia. In Asia, Japan saw the establishment of its own fast food chain in 1972: {{Nihongo|[[MOS Burger]]|モスバーガー|Mosu bāgā}}, an abbreviation of "Mountain, Ocean, Sun", which eventually became a direct competitor to McDonald's. All of its products, however, were variations on the burger adapted to the Asian world, including the teriyaki burger, takumi burger, and riceburger.<ref name="BigIndex">{{Cite book|author= Cwiertka, Katarzyna J. |title= Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity |edition= 1st |year= 2007 |month= May |publisher= Reaktion Books (illustrated version) |isbn= 1-86189-298-5 }}</ref> In Hong Kong, [[Aji Ichiban]] competed with large chains before it spread quickly throughout Asia.<ref name="Asia" /> One of the first hamburger [[vending machine]]s debuted in Amsterdam in 1941 under the brand ''[[FEBO]]'', its name derived from its original place of creation, the [[Ferdinand Bolstraat]]. |
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At the same time the hamburger was growing in popularity around the world, it took on a variety of local features in different locations. Such examples of this include ground beef made from local animals, such as [[kangaroo]]s in Australia,<ref name="Austr">{{Cite book|author=Loffler, Don |title= Capital Taste: the A-Z of Good Food in and around Canberra |edition= 1st |year= 1997 |publisher= Wakefield Press |isbn= 1-86254-416-6}}</ref> or [[Tex-Mex]]-style dishes like [[chilli con carne]]. |
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The expansion and standardization of the hamburger has led to the creation of a price index that can be used as an economic reference between different countries known as the [[Big Mac Index]]. It measures the worth (in US$) of a burger in different parts of the world, allowing for the comparison of the [[purchasing power parity]] of 120 national economies in which McDonald's does business.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite book|author= Ong, Li Lian |title= The Big Mac Index: Applications of Purchasing Power Parity |edition= 1st |year= 2003 |month= May |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |isbn= 1-4039-0310-7}}</ref> American sociologist [[George Ritzer]] coined the related concept of "[[McDonaldization]]" in his 1995 book ''McDonaldization of Society.''<ref name="McGlobal" /> Another byproduct of the globalization of fast food was the creation of international [[competitive eating]] contests that involve contestants from many different countries. One of the best known is the [[Krystal Square Off]], run by the fast-food chain [[Krystal (restaurant)|Krystal]] and sponsored by the [[International Federation of Competitive Eating]] (IFOC), which has been held annually since 2004. |
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==Present day== |
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[[File:AstronautsEatingBurgers.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Astronauts eating hamburgers in space, thanks to the design of the [[space food]] provided at the [[International Space Station]] (ISS).]] |
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In the early 21st century, the hamburger has appeared as the central topic in some books on the literature of culinary topics. An example of this is ''[[Fast Food Nation|Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal]]'', published by [[investigative journalist]] [[Eric Schlosser]] in 2001, that examines the local and global influence of the American fast food industry.<ref name="Schlosser">{{Cite book|author= Schlosser, Eric |title= Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal |edition= 2nd |year= 2002 |month= January |publisher= Harper Perennial |location= New York |isbn= 978-0-06-093845-1}}</ref> An example of a modern variation of the hamburger is the so-called ''gourmet burger'', which is made by [[haute cuisine]] chefs with patties that include [[luxury good|luxury]] ingredients. One of the first such burgers was cooked in New York City by chef [[Daniel Boulud]] in June 2001, and subsequently sold for US$29 with [[loin]], ribs Bres, canned [[black truffle]]s, and a [[mirepoix (cuisine)|mirepoix]] of vegetables. The [[Manhattan]] restaurant "Old Homestead", one of the oldest [[steakhouse]]s in the country, offers a $44 hamburger with beef-bred Japanese [[wagyū]].<ref name="Edge" /> An haute cuisine burger created by [[Richard Blais]], a student of [[Ferran Adrià]], was introduced in 2004 at a restaurant in [[Atlanta]], where it is served with a crystal chain and a silk [[ribbon]]. In response to the haute cuisine take on the hamburger, others have created more humble versions. Alberto Chicote of [[Madrid]] makes [[homemade]] hamburgers in his kitchen, using [[Iberia]]n pork along with homemade [[ketchup]] and [[mustard (condiment)|mustard]].<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.diariodenoticias.com/ediciones/2006/07/29/sociedad/navarra/d29nav10.656412.php |title= La tradición estadounidense y la cocina fusión ponen el punto y final al simposio gastronómico|accessdate=23 de marzo de 2009 |language= Spanish |date= July 29, 2006 }}</ref> In 1993, Max Schondor created a hamburger made of soy. In a 2005 episode of [[SpongeBob SquarePants]], the adventurous title character visits [[Mr. Krabs]]'s popular [[Krabby Patty]] burgers, where hamburgers figure prominently in the story. |
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In the United States during the early 21st century, there have been numerous celebrations marking the centenary of the burger. Two locations in particular organized high-profile events to celebrate 100 years of the hamburger. One was held in [[Athens, Texas]] in November 2006, in honor of Fletcher Davis. In a resolution made by the State of Texas, it was established that Athens is the "Original Home of Hamburger". However, in August 2007, the state of [[Wisconsin]] made the same claim on behalf of the town of [[Seymour, Wisconsin|Seymour]], the home of [[Charlie Nagreen]] who also claimed to be the creator of the hamburger.<ref name="Smith" /> These two decisions have split the honor of creating the hamburger between these two American cities. The town of Seymour continues to annually celebrate a "Burger Fest" on the first Saturday of each August. |
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===Nutritional controversies=== |
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Since the beginning of the 21st century, the burger has undergone several [[controversy|controversies]] regarding its nutritional values. In an era in which a growing amount of the world's population has become either [[overweight]] or more conscious of weight and the need for a healthy diet in general, the appearance of exceptionally larger burgers (popularly known as "XXL hamburgers") has generated considerable controversy.<ref>{{Cite book|author= Gard, Michael |coauthor= Jan Wright |title= The obesity epidemic |edition= 1st |year= 2005 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 0-415-31895-5}}</ref> One example of this is the [[Triple Whopper]], which surpasses the one thousand calorie threshold established by the Health Strategy Against Obesity, which is promoted by the health institutes of the Spanish Association of Food and Nutrition Safety (AESAN). AESAN works to prevent the growth of the incidence of [[obesity]] in all people, particularly children. More generally, [[dietitian]]s are beginning to see that the consumption of foods high in [[calorie]]s can cause excessive [[appetite]].<ref>{{Cite journal|author= Prentice, A. M. |coauthor= S. A. Jebb |year= 2003 |month= November |title= Fast foods, energy density and obesity: a possible mechanistic link |publisher= Obesity Review |volume= 4|pages= 187–194|doi= 10.1046/j.1467-789X.2003.00117.x|issue= 4|journal= Obesity Reviews|pmid= 14649369}}</ref> In response to this message, many restaurant chains have reduced the calories in their burgers since the beginning of the 21st century. The late 20th century witnessed a lawsuit brought by [[McDonald's]] against two [[environmental activist]]s, [[Helen Steel]] and David Morris, that was colloquially known as ''[[McLibel]]''. McDonald's took action following the publication of a [[pamphlet]] by Steel and Morris that was entitled ''What’s wrong with McDonald’s: Everything they don’t want you to know'', which was subsequently developed into a documentary called ''[[McLibel (film)|McLibel]]''. |
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===Media=== |
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In 2004, [[Morgan Spurlock]] addressed the obsessive consumption of hamburgers by some Americans by directing and starring in the documentary film ''[[Super Size Me]]''. In the film, he himself eats only [[McDonald's]] food for an entire month and documents how his health changes. That same year saw the premiere of ''[[Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle]]'', a film in which [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle restaurants]] played a vital part. Two years later, in 2006, the film ''[[Fast Food Nation (film)|Fast Food Nation]]'' presented a fictional representation of the [[intrigue]]s and machinations of the [[meat industry]] on the border between Mexico and the United States. It is largely based on the 2001 book ''[[Fast Food Nation|Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal]]''. All of these films highlight the fact that the hamburger enters the 21st century with major challenges ahead, as society becomes increasingly concerned about what it eats and as the [[obesity epidemic]] continues to grow, along with average calorie intake. |
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==See also== |
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{{portal|History|Food}} |
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* [[Hamburger]] |
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* [[History of the hamburger in the United States]] |
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* [[List of hamburgers]] |
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{{-}} |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamburger}} |
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[[Category:History of food and drink]] |
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[[Category:American sandwiches]] |
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{{Link FA|es}} |
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Revision as of 15:14, 23 October 2013
MAX IS AWESOME!!!