Everyone’s Favourite Fast Food - the Hamburger

Craving fast food? Well, there’s nothing more appetizing than a juicy, cheesy hamburger to calm the rumbling in your stomach. Hamburgers have carved a special place in everyone’s hearts irrespective of their age. Teenagers and young adults were mesmerized by this delicacy-turned-fast food when they saw the carefree “Jughead” from Riverdale gorging on a plate full of hamburgers at Pop Tate’s. Though most of us wish for the tremendous appetite that Jughead has, which is nearly impossible to have, you can firmly assert that your love for hamburgers transcends everything just like it does for the famous comic character.

In a bid to commemorate everyone’s favorite fast food, the hamburger, people celebrate the National Hamburger Day on 28th May, every year. This is the day where you pay homage to the one food that has helped you narrowly escape hunger when you were persistent on playing “Home Alone” and forgot that your culinary skills aren’t up to the mark. All hail the mighty hamburger that underwent a series of changes and endeared itself to billions of people worldwide. One of the most popular variants of the hamburger is the cheese hamburger and Matthew McConaughey rightly said that “The man who invented the hamburger was smart; the man who invented the cheeseburger was a genius.”

Your delicious fast food has come a long way; it is believed that it began its journey from Egypt! Later, it traveled with the Genghis Khan’s Mongol Army and went around in Russia, and finally, it arrived in the country with the German immigrants. Phew! Now you would definitely look at the hamburger on your plate in a completely different light; it has such as rich and fascinating history to it.

Irrespective of all the claims made about the origin of the hamburger, people are still skeptical to believe which theory is the real one. It is believed that the modern-day hamburger was a dish in the ancient Egyptian cookbooks; it was prepared with ground meat and made into patties and garnished with spices. Later, the Mongolian army under Genghis Khan was believed to have relished these hamburgers. 

When this Mongolian army reached Russia, the hamburger transformed itself into the Steak Tartare, which is a delicacy made of raw beef. In the 16th century, the hamburger entered Germany via trade routes and reached the port of Hamburg in Germany. Thus, the name “hamburger.” The German immigrants introduced the hamburger to the U.S. citizens in the 18th and 19th century, and thus, began the journey of the American hamburger. With an enriching and interesting history, the hamburger has become an indispensable part of our lives; even the most health-conscious person cannot resist taking a bite of this mouthwatering dish.