At least once in their life, most Americans have gone to their local fast food chain, whether from McDonald’s or In-N-Out and eaten a delicious burger. They may have eaten a cheeseburger, a chicken burger, a hamburger, or one of the many variations of this delicacy. National Burger Day this August 22 is a day to celebrate this dish and have a bite! The burger is a staple dish across the world with a rich, and controversial, history to it.
The burger is no recent innovation but rather dates back centuries ago to ancient civilizations. The foundation of a modern-day burger was seen in Mesopotamia around 10,000 years ago with the taming of cattle for milk, labor—and meat. Beef increased its popularity in the 12th century trading city of Hamburg, Germany. In the 19th century, America followed suit and started cooking beef patties as they were considered healthy. Some people say that the burger was created in 1881 by Otto Krause and others say that it was created by Louis Lassen in 1900. Of course, this question will always remain, but the fact that is clear is that either one created a delicious delicacy to be enjoyed forever.
In 1921 Walter Anderson and Edgar Ingram created the burger chain White Castle, a precursor to modern chains like McDonald’s. With a clean interior, and by emphasizing the hamburger’s health benefits, the fast food chain helped burgers gain more popularity. The main reason for the burger being the end all be all of fast food is because of the variety and customizability. There can be any number of patties, or different types of patties, whether meat or vegetarian. There are different vegetable toppings from tomatoes to onions—or none. People can add mayo, ketchup or any other sauce they would like. There’s a burger out there for everyone.
While August winds down, everyone needs to go out and have a burger. There is no such thing as not liking a burger because everyone can create one to their taste. That is the specialty of burgers.
Sources:
https://www.cookist.com/how-did-the-all-american-hamburger-become-so-popular/
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/hamburger-day/https://www.history.com/news/hamburger-helpers-the-history-of-americas-favorite-sandwich
