May 19, 2015 (Tuesday)
Dwight and I recently enjoyed some good hamburgers in a local restaurant. They were delicious. You know, the hamburger, in some form, can be found in countries around the world. How did this sandwich get its start? I’m glad you asked.
A long, long time ago Kublai Khan invaded Moscow and introduced a horsemeat patty to Russian cuisine. Over the centuries, the Russians developed it into what became known as steak tartare. The German port of Hamburg hosted many Russian ships, so many that it became known among Germans as “the Russian port.” Hamburg became a place where you could find steak tartare. Gradually, new methods of processing the meat (as yet the meat grinder had not been invented) such as mincing and scraping, then mixing with other bits of food produced a tasty “steak” to be eaten with a fork.
The Germans who came to the United States usually came aboard a ship from Hamburg. The ships had crews from Hamburg who introduced the “Hamburg steak” to other crews and passengers who gradually introduced them in the United States. Oh, I almost forgot. A change was made from horsemeat to beef a long time ago.
No one knows for sure just who made the first “hamburger.” All theories seem to have 
something to do with fairs and events where people could eat on the run. The likely truth is that street vendors introduced them at a fair, possibly a World’s Fair. The visitor could purchase the sandwich and take it with him from vendor to vendor or exhibit to exhibit.
The first business to major on selling hamburgers was “The White Castle.” The burgers sold for five cents each. Their slogan was, “buy them by the sack.” I bought some in Dallas during the early 1960’s for ten cents each, considered quite cheap at the time. They were good, too.
Today, we make our own, or we go out. We can generally order one at almost any restaurant, whatever their normal cuisine may be. Or we can go to restaurants specifically there to sell the hamburgers in one of many forms popular today.
Whatever the nutrition experts say, a good hamburger (made with mayo, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and fries) is a balanced meal, or so it seems to me. Just don’t overdo it; you may get out of balance.