On average, Americans
eat 100 hamburgers a year. McDonalds alone sells three billion a year, and
nearly a total of 14 billion burgers are sold across the country when including
all various restaurants and chains.
Although early
Mongolians troops under Genghis Khan are thought to have eaten the first
traditional burgers by forming patties of scraps of meat and roasting or eating
them raw, the word, “hamburger,” originated from the German city of Hamburg,
which was then brought over to America during the influx of immigration. At
least five German immigrants from the late 19th century claimed
to have invented the hamburger, a patty of ground meat served between slices of
bread. A hamburger is usually served with a combination of toppings that can
include lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, bacon, cheese, ketchup, mustard,
relish, etc. The meat itself can vary from beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb,
etc.
There are many disputes
over who actually started selling the first hamburger in America. The Library
of Congress officially declared the first hamburger was created in America by
Louis Lassen, owner of Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut in 1900. White
Castle claims the first hamburger was created by Otto Kuase in 1891, who topped
his patties with a fried egg. After World War I, White Castle named their
burgers, “salisbury steak,” due to a large anti-German sentiment. Burgers
became very unpopular until White Castle introduce mini burgers, which they
called “slyders.” Although the burger meat patty was served between slices of
bread earlier, the first actual burger bun was created by an Oklahoma farmer,
Oscar Weber Bilby, in the late 19th century. He later opened a
hamburger stand in 1933 with his son, Leo, which is still operating to this day
using the same grill as the original stand.
There are also disputes
over who invented the first cheeseburger. In 1926, Lionel Sternberger served
burgers topped with cheese from his father’s shop at the age of 16 while
working as a fry cook. In 1935, Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in
Denver, Colorado first trademarked the name, “cheeseburger.” There are also
many variations of the cheeseburger, such as the Jucy (or Juicy, depending who
you ask) Lucy, which has the cheese melted inside the burger patty instead of
placed on top of it. There are also varying claims as to who invented that
particular hamburger.
Kosher
burgers are also incredibly popular for observant Jews who keep kosher. Some
may be a little discouraged that they can’t have their burgers with cheese to
enjoy a proper cheeseburger, as the mixing of milk and meat together is
prohibited according to the Torah. However, places like Talia’s Steakhouse on
the Upper West Side of Manhattan still serve kosher burgers NYC with non-dairy cheese and
it’s still completely Glatt Kosher.
Their trick is to use
soy cheese, which tastes just like the real thing. The NYC kosher restaurant
was met with some controversy from some ultra-Orthofdox Jews who believe that just the look
of the kosher cheeseburger had to be avoided, as indicated in a NY Post article.
It was also featured on Fox News and in NY Blueprint. If you’re looking for
great kosher burgers on Amsterdam Avenue, with or without non-dairy cheese, Talia’s Steakhouse may
be the place for you. Ask about the only kosher cheeseburger in New York City!
Talia's Steakhouse & Bar
668 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10025
www.taliassteakhouse.com
212-580-3770
info@taliassteakhouse.com
