Burgers history
There have been many claims about the origin of the hamburger. There
is a reference to a "Hamburg steak" as early as 1884 in the Boston
Journal.[OED, under "steak"] On July 5, 1896, the Chicago Daily Tribune made a
highly specific claim regarding a "hamburger sandwich" in an article
about a "Sandwich Car": "A distinguished favorite, only five cents, is
Hamburger steak sandwich, the meat for which is kept ready in small
patties and 'cooked while you wait' on the gasoline range."[4] According
to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the hamburger, a ground meat patty
between two slices of bread, was first created in America in 1900 by
Louis Lassen, a Danish immigrant, owner of Louis' Lunch in New Haven,
Connecticut.[5] This claim is now backed by the Library of Congress.[6]
There have been rival claims by Charlie Nagreen, Frank and Charles
Menches, Oscar Weber Bilby, and Fletcher David.[7][8] White Castle
traces the origin of the hamburger to Hamburg, Germany with its
invention by Otto Kuase.[9] However, it gained national recognition at
the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair when the New York Tribune referred to
the hamburger as "the innovation of a food vendor on the pike".[8] No
conclusive argument has ever ended the dispute over invention. An
article from ABC News sums up: "One problem is that there is little
written history. Another issue is that the spread of the burger
happened largely at the World's Fair, from tiny vendors that came and
went in an instant. And it is entirely possible that more than one
person came up with the idea at the same time in different parts of the
country."[10]
Claims of invention
Louis Lassen
Louis Lassen of Louis' Lunch, a small lunch wagon in New Haven,
Connecticut, is said to have sold the first hamburger and steak
sandwich in the U.S. in 1900.[11][12][13] New York magazine states that
"The dish actually had no name until some rowdy sailors from Hamburg
named the meat on a bun after themselves years later", noting also
that this claim is subject to dispute.[14] A customer ordered a quick hot
meal and Louis was out of steaks. Taking ground beef trimmings, Louis
made a patty and grilled it, putting it between two slices of toast.[8]
Some critics like Josh Ozersky, a food editor for New York Magazine,
claim that this sandwich was not a hamburger because the bread was
toasted.[15]
Charlie Nagreen
One of the earliest claims comes from Charlie Nagreen, who in 1885
sold a meatball between two slices of bread at the Seymour Fair[16] now
sometimes called the Outagamie County Fair.[15] The Seymour
Community Historical Society of Seymour, Wisconsin, credits Nagreen,
now known as "Hamburger Charlie", with the invention. Nagreen was
fifteen when he was reportedly selling pork sandwiches at the 1885
Seymour Fair, made so customers could eat while walking. The
Historical Society explains that Nagreen named the hamburger after
the Hamburg steak with which local German immigrants were familiar.
[17][18]
Otto Kuase
According to White Castle, Otto Kuase was the inventor of the
hamburger. In 1891 he created a beef patty cooked in butter and
topped with a fried egg. German sailors would later omit the fried egg.
[8]
Oscar Weber Bilby
The family of Oscar Weber Bilby claim the first-known hamburger on a
bun was served on July 4, 1891 on Grandpa Oscar's farm. The bun was
a yeast bun.[7][19][20][21][22] In 1995, Governor Frank Keating proclaimed
that the first true hamburger on a bun was created and consumed in
Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1891, calling Tulsa, "The Real Birthplace of the
Hamburger."[23]
Frank and Charles Menches
A bacon cheeseburger, from a New York City diner
Frank and Charles Menches claim to have sold a ground beef sandwich
at the Erie County Fair in 1885 in Hamburg, New York.[15] During the
fair, they ran out of pork sausage for their sandwiches and substituted
beef.[16] Kunzog[who?], who spoke to Frank Menches, says they exhausted
their supply of sausage, so purchased chopped up beef from a butcher,
Andrew Klein. Historian Joseph Streamer wrote that the meat was from
Stein's market not Klein's, despite Stein's having sold the market in
1874.[16] The story notes that the name of the hamburger comes from
Hamburg, New York not Hamburg Germany.[16] Frank Menches's
obituary in The New York Times states that these events took place at
the 1892 Summit County Fair in Akron, Ohio.[24]
Fletcher Davis
Fletcher Davis of Athens, Texas claimed to have invented the
hamburger. According to oral histories, in the 1880s he opened a lunch
counter in Athens and served a 'burger' of fried ground beef patties
with mustard and Bermuda onion between two slices of bread, with a
pickle on the side.[8] The story is that in 1904, Davis and his wife Ciddy
ran a sandwich stand at the St. Louis World's Fair.[8] Historian Frank X.
Tolbert, noted that Athens resident Clint Murchison said his grandfather
dated the hamburger to the 1880s with 'Old Dave' a.k.a. Fletcher
Davis.[16] A photo of "Old Dave's Hamburger Stand" from 1904 was sent
to Tolbert as evidence of the claim.[16] Also the New York Tribune,
without giving names, attributed the innovation of the hamburger to
the stand on the pike.[8]
Other hamburger-steak claims
Various non-specific claims of invention relate to the term "hamburger
steak" without mention of its being a sandwich. The first printed
American menu which listed hamburger is said to be an 1834 menu
from Delmonico's in New York.[25] However, the printer of the original
menu was not in business in 1834.[22] In 1889, a menu from Walla Walla
Union in Washington offered hamburger steak as a menu item.[8]
Between 1871 and 1884, "Hamburg Beefsteak" was on the "Breakfast
and Supper Menu" of the Clipper Restaurant at 311/313 Pacific Street
in San Fernando, California. It cost 10 centsthe same price as mutton
chops, pig's feet in batter, and stewed veal. It was not, however, on
the dinner menu. Only "Pig's Head," "Calf Tongue," and "Stewed
Kidneys" were listed.[26] Another claim ties the hamburger to Summit
County, New York or Ohio. Summit County, Ohio exists, but Summit
County, New York does not.[16]
Early major vendors
See also: History of White Castle and History of McDonald's
3
4
5
6
7
8
The McDonald's Big Mac
1921: White Castle, Wichita, Kansas. Due to widely anti-German
sentiment in the U.S. during World War I, an alternative name for
hamburgers was Salisbury steak. Following the war, hamburgers
became unpopular until the White Castle restaurant chain marketed
and sold large numbers of small 2.5-inch square hamburgers, known as
sliders. They started to punch five holes in each patty, which help them
cook evenly and eliminate the need to flip the burger. In 1995 White
Castle began selling frozen hamburgers in convenience stores and
vending machines.[27]
1923: Kewpee Hamburgers, or Kewpee Hotels, Flint, Michigan. Kewpee
was the second hamburger chain and peaked at 400 locations before
World War II. Many of these were licensed but not strictly franchised.
Many closed during WWII. Between 1955 and 1967, another wave
closed or caused changes of name. In 1967 the Kewpee licensor moved
the company to a franchise system. Currently only five locations exist.
1926: White Tower Hamburgers
1927: Little Tavern
1931: Toddle House
1930s: White Castle (II; run by Henry Cassada)
1931: Krystal (restaurant) [28]
1936: Big Boy
1940: McDonald's restaurant, San Bernardino, California, was opened
by Richard and Maurice McDonald. Their introduction of the "Speedee
Service System" in 1948 established the principles of the modern fastfood restaurant. The McDonald brothers began franchising in 1953. In
1961, Ray Kroc (the supplier of their multi-mixer milkshake machines)
purchased the company from the brothers for $2.7 million and a 1.9%
royalty.
