for a hamburger today.”
Back in the dark ages of American kitchens, otherwise known as the mid-to-late 19th century, the hamburger was nowhere to be found. Sure, we had ground beef, introduced by German immigrants in the early 1800s, but a Hamburg steak is one giant white-bread step away from a hamburger.
Who was the first to slap it on a bun?
Click to read and listen.
NPR’s Present at the Creation
The Hamburger: A History, out recently from Yale University Press by Josh Ozersky examines the iconic sandwich in detail.
Read a review from the Chicago Tribune.
“Obviously, my philosophy on gastronomy can be summed up by saying the fat is the meat and the meat is the vegetable,” says Mr. Ozersky.
And the vegetable is the French fry.
The Lunch Encounter 