Hamburger

A hamburger (or simply a burger) is a sandwich that consists of a cooked patty made of ground meat and is generally served with various garnish or condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, onion, relish, pickles, and cheese toppings, placed inside a sliced Hamburger bun, often baked specially for this purpose, or pieces of bread, toast. The meat patty is beef, unless otherwise noted.Hamburger also refers to the cooked patty of ground meat by itself The patty alone is also known as a beefburger, or burger. Adding cheese makes it a cheeseburger. Hamburger is actually a distinct product from ground round and other types of ground meat. However, ground beef of any form is often commonly referred to as "hamburger." A recipe calling for 'hamburger' (the non-countable noun) would require ground beef or beef substitute- not a whole sandwich. The word hamburger comes from Hamburg steak, which originated in the German city of Hamburg. Contrary to what folk etymology might lead one to believe, there is no actual 'ham' in a hamburger.According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the term "hamburger" comes from Hamburg steak, which was first recorded in English in 1884 but was used back as far as the 1600's when Ghengis Khan's soldiers put their patties under their saddles to tenderise them. A form of pounded beef called "Hamburg Steak" was common in Hamburg in the middle of the 19th century. The recipe was brought to North America by the large numbers of people emigrating from Germany at the time, many of whom passed through the port of Hamburg. There is indirect evidence for its use on an American menu in 1836. The form hamburger steak first appeared in a Washington state newspaper in 1889. The first recipe close to the current idea of a hamburger, using ground beef mixed with onion and pepper, dates from 1902.[3] The Oxford English Dictionary of 1802, on the other hand, defines "Hamburg Steak" simply as cured beef. In a time without refrigerators, when it took weeks to travel from Europe to the USA, cured meat was a standard food for poor US immigrants, who often started from Hamburg (which was and is the biggest German seaport and one of the biggest in the world). In a tween deck, where cooking is nearly impossible, cutting tough cured beef into pieces and putting it between slices of bread may suggest itself.In North America burgers can be divided into two main types: fast food hamburgers and individually-prepared ones made in homes and sit down restaurants. The latter are traditionally prepared "with everything" (or "all the way," "deluxe," "the works," "through the garden," or in some regions "dressed"), which includes lettuce, tomato, onion, and often sliced pickles (or pickle relish). Cheese (usually processed cheese slices but often cheddar, Swiss, or blue, either melted on the meat patty or crumbled on top), is generally an option. Condiments are usually added to the hamburger, but they may be offered separately ("on the side"), with the two most common condiments being mustard and tomato ketchup. However, mayonnaise, other salad dressings, and barbecue sauce are also popular. Traditional "Texas" hamburgers and cheeseburgers usually omit other liquid condiments besides mustard. Other popular toppings include bacon, avocado or guacamole, sliced sautéed mushrooms, cheese sauce and/or chili (usually without beans). Heinz 57 sauce is popular among burger enthusiasts. Somewhat less common additions/ingredients include fried egg, scrambled egg, feta cheese, blue cheese, salsa, Jalapenos and other kinds of chile peppers, anchovies, slices of ham, pastrami or teriyaki-seasoned beef, tartar sauce, french fries or potato chips.