There’s no clear reason as to why a hamburger is called a hamburger, but our best guess is right in the name: The origins can be traced back to Hamburg, Germany. As Europeans began to immigrate to the United States en masse in the 18th and 19th centuries, they brought with them their favorite foods, including Hamburg steaks, or fried patties of minced beef and chopped onions that were bound together with eggs, bread crumbs, and mild spices.
The burger as we know it today evolved from Hamburg steaks. The name of the German dish was shortened to “Hamburgs” and then, when the beef was eventually sandwiched between two slices of bread, to “hamburgers.” Some sources claim the word “hamburger” first appeared on a menu in 1873, when Delmonico’s restaurant in New York City advertised a hamburger steak. Americans later abbreviated it to “burgers.”
I – Word Understanding
En masse – in a group / together
Patty – a small flat cake of minced food (meat and/or vegetables)
II – Have Your Say
1, Do you like hamburger/burger? What’s your favorite? Name some special burgers that are unique to your country.
2, A sandwich is meat between two pieces of bread, a burger is also meat between two pieces of bread, then, why is a burger not a sandwich?
3, Do you consider a burger a junk food or a healthy food?
