Hamburger: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:4th of July Burger.jpg|right|thumb|212px|{{#ifexist:Template:4th of July Burger.jpg/credit|{{4th of July Burger.jpg/credit}}<br/>|}}Barbecued hamburgers and corn on the 4th of July are a quintessentially American meal.]] | [[Image:4th of July Burger.jpg|right|thumb|212px|{{#ifexist:Template:4th of July Burger.jpg/credit|{{4th of July Burger.jpg/credit}}<br/>|}}Barbecued hamburgers and corn on the 4th of July are a quintessentially American meal.]] | ||
A '''hamburger''' (or, | A '''hamburger''' (or, '''burger''') is a sandwich with a toasted bun containing a patty of ground, cooked meat that is almost always beef, usually with condiments such as relish, mustard and ketchup. | ||
Most authorities consider that the word "hamburger" is derived from the German city of Hamburg, which once enjoyed prosperous commerce with the Baltic Provinces in Russia, where shredded raw meat (we now know it as steak tartare) was popular. <ref>''The American Heritage Cookbook and Illustrated History of American Eating & Drinking'', Vol. 2, page 492</ref> Around 1900, a popular meal in the United States was "Salisbury steak," cooked, ground steak, which was promoted by a food faddist named Dr. J. H. Salisbury as a cure for innumerable ailments. At some point in the late 19th or early 20th century hamburgers as we know them, cooked patties within a roll, made their first appearance in the United States, although exactly where and when is still debated. German “hamburg steak” evolved into hamburgers for the rising class of American urban factory workers. In the 1940s the innovations of the White Castle System and in the 1960s the McDonald’s Corporation turned the burger into the Model T of fast food. The hamburger played an important role in America’s transformation into a mobile, suburban culture, and in the 21st century, despite strong cvompetition from pizza and tacos, it remmains America’s favorite sandwich. But Americans have mixed feelings bout it: is it a robust, succulent spheroid of fresh ground beef, the birthright of red-blooded citizens? or is it a styrofoam-shrouded Big Mac, mass-produced to industrial specifications and served by wage slaves to an obese, brainwashed population? Is it cooking or commodity? An icon of freedom or the quintessence of conformity?<ref> Josh Ozersky, ''The Hamburger: A History'' (2008), </ref> | |||
Along with [[Coca-Cola]], the hamburger was once disdainfully regarded by many non-Americans as the epitome of low cultural taste. With the advent of mass marketing from fast-food chains such as [[McDonald's]] and [[Burger King]], however, hamburgers have now spread around the world and, with variations, are consumed in every culture. | |||
Generally considered to be an informal meal or a convenience food, its meat can be grilled, fried, broiled, microwaved, or steamed, and is almost always served with condiments such as ketchup or mustard inside a bun baked specially for hamburgers. One of its most popular variations, a hamburger served with melted cheese on top, is called a [[cheeseburger]]. | |||
Many cultures over the centuries have cooked finely chopped or ground meats in shapes such as meatballs, patties, or steaks, often flavored with other ingredients. The ''Larousse Gastronomique'', for instance, gives a half-dozen Hungarian, German, and Austrian recipes for what it calls ''Keftedes'', all translated as variations on "hamburgers". <ref>''Larousse Gastronomique'', page 485</ref> | |||
==Bibliography== | |||
* Ozersky, Josh. ''The Hamburger: A History'' (Yale University Press: 2008), 160pp SBN: 9780300117585 | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
Revision as of 15:49, 22 April 2008
A hamburger (or, burger) is a sandwich with a toasted bun containing a patty of ground, cooked meat that is almost always beef, usually with condiments such as relish, mustard and ketchup.
Most authorities consider that the word "hamburger" is derived from the German city of Hamburg, which once enjoyed prosperous commerce with the Baltic Provinces in Russia, where shredded raw meat (we now know it as steak tartare) was popular. [1] Around 1900, a popular meal in the United States was "Salisbury steak," cooked, ground steak, which was promoted by a food faddist named Dr. J. H. Salisbury as a cure for innumerable ailments. At some point in the late 19th or early 20th century hamburgers as we know them, cooked patties within a roll, made their first appearance in the United States, although exactly where and when is still debated. German “hamburg steak” evolved into hamburgers for the rising class of American urban factory workers. In the 1940s the innovations of the White Castle System and in the 1960s the McDonald’s Corporation turned the burger into the Model T of fast food. The hamburger played an important role in America’s transformation into a mobile, suburban culture, and in the 21st century, despite strong cvompetition from pizza and tacos, it remmains America’s favorite sandwich. But Americans have mixed feelings bout it: is it a robust, succulent spheroid of fresh ground beef, the birthright of red-blooded citizens? or is it a styrofoam-shrouded Big Mac, mass-produced to industrial specifications and served by wage slaves to an obese, brainwashed population? Is it cooking or commodity? An icon of freedom or the quintessence of conformity?[2]
Along with Coca-Cola, the hamburger was once disdainfully regarded by many non-Americans as the epitome of low cultural taste. With the advent of mass marketing from fast-food chains such as McDonald's and Burger King, however, hamburgers have now spread around the world and, with variations, are consumed in every culture.
Generally considered to be an informal meal or a convenience food, its meat can be grilled, fried, broiled, microwaved, or steamed, and is almost always served with condiments such as ketchup or mustard inside a bun baked specially for hamburgers. One of its most popular variations, a hamburger served with melted cheese on top, is called a cheeseburger.
Many cultures over the centuries have cooked finely chopped or ground meats in shapes such as meatballs, patties, or steaks, often flavored with other ingredients. The Larousse Gastronomique, for instance, gives a half-dozen Hungarian, German, and Austrian recipes for what it calls Keftedes, all translated as variations on "hamburgers". [3]
Bibliography
- Ozersky, Josh. The Hamburger: A History (Yale University Press: 2008), 160pp SBN: 9780300117585