Why do they call it Hamburger? - Guest Olivia

I was picking up the girls from the bus the other day and the beautiful and intelligent Olivia comes up to me, to ask this question. "Why do they call hamburger, hamburger?" I said, "that is a good question"!  I then asked her if she would like to be a guest blogger and she took the challenge.

She found her information by reading What's Cooking America by Linda Stradley.

This is what Olivia wrote.  Hamburgers, the well known food that has been the backbone of so many fast food restaurants for so long.  While at Burger King or McDonald's have you ever looked at your hamburger and said to yourself, "it's made of beef, so why the heck is it called a hamburger?" Well, I'm here to tell you.

Ground beef has been around a LONG TIME.  Since the ancient Egyptians, for the record.  In the fifteenth century, this minced meat was a valuable food item in Europe.  It was bought and shipped to Germany as "tartare steak" and became popular in Hamburg.  In the late eighteenth century, the renamed food had turned itself into "hamburg steak". Sailors visiting the ports of Hamburg bought the meat and the name. They would sell it at the ports they visited. It was very different from the hamburger we know today.

It became a favorite food among the poorer classes. Eventually, it evolved into the hamburger as we know it.  It was quickly grilled on ships and served between two slices of bread.  This happened in the late 1800's.  It was eventually called a hamburger, and we eat them, a lot.

These are pictures of Olivia cooking some burgers for her family.

Olivia wanted me to share this quote from the famous comic Popeye. Will we be able to get Olivia to talk soon with us on the comic discussion of a country who eats the beef before it's paid for. (wink, wink)

Wimpy from Popeye on the subject of hamburgers