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Americans
Americans are the largest consumers of hamburgers, eating 13 billion a year. Lined up, they’d circle the earth 32 times.
Bread
Along with ground beef, the perfect hamburger includes a bread bun covered with toasted sesame seeds.
Cheeseburger
In the 1920s, a young cook in Pasadena added a thin slice of cheese to the hamburger he was preparing. And behold: the cheeseburger was born.
Doggerel
In 1885 one of the first hamburger vendors would sing out: “Hamburgers, hamburgers, hamburgers hot; onions in the middle, pickle on top. Makes your lips go flippity flop”.
Enthusiasts
Harry Sperl sacrificed his Harley Davidson in order to transform it into a Burger Trike: the whole body is now in the shape of a hambuger.
Fast Food
Becoming widespread in the ‘80s, among the most popular fast food chains is McDonald’s – whose best-selling sandwich is the Big Mac.
Germany
In the early 1800s in the German port of Hamburg, the first beef meatballs were consumed. It was the Germans who brought hamburger into the United States.
Hot Dog
The hamburger’s only true rival for the most beloved fast food is the hot dog. And even its original name, Frankfurter, evokes Germany.
Island BBQ Sauce
It’s the most extravagant sauce that tops a hamburger, with ingredients like soy sauce, pineapple juice, rum, honey and mustard.
Junk Food
Because they’re often made with fat and preservatives, with a high calorie content, hamburgers have become the emblematic junk food.
Kobe
The precious Japanese beef, Kobe, is the main protagonist of the world’s most expensive hamburger, which comes with truffle and foie gras, costs 5 thousand dollars and is served at a Las Vegas casino.
Liberty
Hamburgers are also called “the Liberty sandwich”, because in the First World War, the American soldiers also called Sauerkraut “Liberty Cabbage” so they wouldn’t have to use the German word.
Meat Choppers
It was only in the 20th Century that meat grinders became widespread. Before that, they were made from wood and tin.
National Hamburger Day
In the U.S. there are several days to pay hommage to this special steak, while May is considered the official month to celebrate both hamburger and barbecue steak.
Onions
Sliced onion and tomatoes, a lettuce leaf, and a variety of sauces like mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup are the common toppings for the world’s most famous sandwich.
Popeye
The most gluttonous cartoon hamburger fan is Poldo (J. Wellington Wimpy), from the Popeye show.
Quarter of a Million
This is the price in euro for a test-tube hamburger, made from artificial meat, perfected after years of research in Holland. It was first cooked by the 3-starred Michelin British chef, Heston Blumenthal.
Rare
The best way to cook and serve a hamburger is medium rare: crispy outside and pink inside.
Switzerland
In Italy, hamburgers are also called “Swiss” because this kind of beef often comes from that neighboring country.
The Jungle
The first popular hamburger critic was the writer Upton Sinclair, in his 1900 novel “The Jungle” in which he denounced the terrible conditions in Chicago slaughterhouses.
Umami Burger
It's the New York fast food chain that launched the hamburger with the “fifth” taste, Umami.
Veggie Burger
Instead of meat, vegetarian hamburgers are made with soy, special chickpea patties, or else various mixtures of legumes and spices.
Walla Walla
The Walla Walla Washington newspaper was the first, in 1889, to report on the existence of the hamburger.
X-Tra Cheese
There’s a very flavourful sauce called “x-tra cheese”, which mixes together American and Swiss cheeses.
Ye Olde 96er
The 96 oz hamburger is served in a pub in Pennsylvania, and comes garnished with 2 whole onions, 12 slices of cheese, half a head of lettuce and lots of sauce.
Zucchini Burger
A delicious alternative to burgers can be grilled or fried zucchini slices served in a bun.
