Of the many things we like to celebrate at the NCP Blog is any kind of special foodie day; and wouldn’t you know it, Friday, May 28, is National Hamburger Day! My mouth is already starting to water just thinking of a juicy burger with all the fixins’.
Memorial Day Weekend is also coming up, and that means the BBQs will be all fired up, cooking plenty of hamburgers along with many other tasty goodies.
How are you spending Memorial Day Weekend? Tell us in the comments section below.
But let’s keep our focus on the glorious hamburger. Americans eat over 50 billion burgers a year, which comes out to three hamburgers per week per person, according to publicholidayguide.com. The average person in the U.S. consumes roughly 30 pounds of hamburgers per year.
Let’s not think about that one for too long.
Hamburger History 101
As often happens with these sort of things, the origin of the mighty hamburger is somewhat clouded in mystery.
According to publicholidayguide.com, hamburger history starts back in 4th-century Europe with minced meat recipes. However, most hamburger-loving historians state that the true history of the burger began in the 1840s when Germans brought high-quality meats from Hamburg to the U.S. The hamburger made its first appearance on a U.S. menu in New York City in 1873.
Interesting fact: Hamburger in German is the name for someone from Hamburg, similar to frankfurter and wiener, names for other meat-based foods and the name for someone from the cities of Frankfurt and Vienna (Wien), respectively, according to uselessdaily.com.
The Invention Of The Modern Hamburger
The true inventor of the modern hamburger is up for debate as Charlie Nagreen from Wisconsin and Frank and Charles Menches from New York claim to be those who served a burger patty on a bun first, according to publicholidayguide.com. However, the hamburger truly captivated Americans when it was featured at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Then, the world’s first fast-food burger chain, White Castle, opened in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. (The first McDonald’s restaurant opened in San Bernardino, California, in 1940.)
Make That A Cheeseburger!
According to uselessdaily.com, adding cheese to hamburgers became popular in the late-1920s to mid-1930s, and there are several competing claims as to who created the first cheeseburger. Lionel Sternberger is reputed to have introduced the cheeseburger in 1926 at the age of 16 when he was working as a fry cook at his father’s Pasadena, California sandwich shop, “The Rite Spot,” and “experimentally dropped a slab of American cheese on a sizzling hamburger.” (And of course the guy had “berger” as part of his name.)
Check out these fun facts, from nationaltoday.com:
Top 5 Burger Toppings That Americans Love:
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Onion
- Pickle
America’s Top 10 Favorite Hamburger Chains:
- McDonald’s
- Five Guys
- Wendy’s
- Burger King
- Steak ‘N Shake
- In-N-Out Burger
- Culver’s
- Sonic
- Whataburger
- White Castle
What do you like on your burgers? Tell us by leaving a comment in the section below.
Reminder: If you buy anything for a Memorial Day Weekend BBQ, please let us know by recording the purchase. Thank you.
Finally, this Memorial Day, please try to remember our fallen troops who gave their lives for our freedom.
Note: In commemoration of Memorial Day, the Panel Support Center will be closed on Monday, May 31. The PSC will reopen on Tuesday, June 1.
Best wishes,
Taylor
Also see:
- It’s National Pretzel Day! (April 26, 2021)
- Make Sure To Celebrate National Donut Day (June 5, 2020)
- Memorial Day Plans (May 23, 2018)
I barely eat meat but this article just got me insanely hungry!!:????????????????
On my, very well done burger, I have to add American and/or cheddar cheese, lots of dill pickles, lettuce, red onions, mustard, salt & cracked black pepper! YUMMY????