What can be more American than the humble hamburger? A staple of backyard barbecues and meals at 2 A.M. on a Sunday night, it’s one of the few foods that can be enjoyed by the 1% of society in Michelin star restaurants, as well as the rest of the 99% at a local McDonald’s. Now, with the 4th of July in the rearview mirror, we consider the question: Why do we eat hamburgers? Where did they come from? Turns out, burgers aren’t as American as you’d think.

The original origins of the hamburger are caked in myth and uncertainty. It’s difficult to track down the earliest form of the burger, but most historians agree that burgers, as we know them, originated in the city of Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg was a major trading hub in Germany, and it had a reputation for high-quality beef dishes. Among those dishes was the Hamburg-style Steak. It was a simple patty-shaped steak made from ground beef and proved to be quite popular amongst both visitors and natives alike. Hamburg-style Steak never traveled far outside of its hometown borders; the dish remained a local meal for the first half of its life. It would’ve remained that way, too, if not for the political toils of mid-19th century Germany. 

America faced an influx of German immigrants because of political chaos, among them Hamburg natives. Finally, Hamburg-style Steak reached a new audience in the American populace. In a few years, American influence began to take place on the Hamburg-style Steak; that is, its first major move towards becoming the burger was with the invention of the Salisbury Steak. A doctor by the name of James H. Salisbury suggested that if broiled minced beef with onions, seasoning, and gravy was eaten three times a day, it would bring a whole host of health benefits. His suggestion firmly implanted the Hamburg-style Steak’s cousin as a new American classic.

It is hotly debated who created the classic burger of beef between bread. A legion of cooks and companies clamor to claim such a legendary dish. The state of Wisconsin claims to be the home of the burger through Charles Nagreen’s 1885 meatball-turned-burger fair food. Brothers Frank and Charles Meches declare their beef substitute for a pork sandwich from 1885 as the true original hamburger. Louis Lassin from Connecticut also supposedly invented the burger as a quick meal for a customer at his diner, Louis’ Lunch, in 1890. However, the most common origin story is from the 1904 World’s Fair. 

A Texan by the name of Fletch Davis grilled a patty and put it between two slices of toast at his stand in St. Louis. But, what separates his creation from other claimants is the massive step forward he made: putting an onion on it. His radical addition of a topping opened the door to the modern burger. His version of the hamburger caught the attention of the world and promptly became the face of America. 

For a heartbeat, burgers were almost lost to the annals of history thanks to a scarcity of ground beef. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle exposed the dark underbelly of the meatpacking industry–precisely where burger patties came from. What was once seen as a health cure was now a leper in the world of cuisine. Were it not for the creation of fast food chains like White Castle in 1921, who touted their high health standards in their burger creation, burgers would have remained the equivalent of dog food. From there, other chains like McDonald’s, In-N-Out, Burger King, and Wendy’s followed in the next four decades and redeemed the reputation of the burger.

Burgers are a bastion of American cuisine. While yes, hot dogs, collard greens, and a disgusting array of deep-fried foods make up our selection, the hamburger reigns above them all as the true representative of America. Frankly, there is nothing else like it in the world, and its motley history is more than fitting. 

Information retrieved from History.com and The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.