Did you know that over 40 billion hamburgers are served annually in the United States? We are happy to contribute to that statistic, as we prepare over 130,000 burgers per year. Since May is National Hamburger Month, we thought what better time to share the history of the burger?!
Many people commonly misbelieve that the first hamburger was created in Hamburg, Germany. The German town can be credited as the inspiration source for the hamburger, however, the concept to place it between two buns came later.
Let’s step back in time and picture 19th century Germany. Imagine cows roaming along the regional countryside. Hamburg residents began using beef to chop, season, and mold into patties. As there were no refrigerators yet, the beef had to be cooked and eaten immediately.
Now, picture Germans arriving in America in the 19th century. Once they passed the Statue of Liberty and headed to land, many opened up restaurants in big cities, such as New York and Chicago. Soon, they began serving an American version of the traditional Hamburg steak.
Delmonico’s restaurant in New York offered a Hamburg steak in 1837. It was priced at 10 cents and was the most expensive item on the menu. After that it was seen on numerous menus across the country. It even made its way to food trucks outside of steam powered factories. This is where the hamburger took its form. Back then, workers would eat quickly, standing up, before heading back in to complete their jobs. While they liked the Hamburg steak, it proved to be quite difficult to eat standing up. That’s when the hamburger was born – someone came up with the idea to place the patty between two slices of bread.
By 1921, the first White Castle was opened by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson in Wichita, Kansas. Hamburgers also were featured on the menus of diners and soda shops. In 1940, the McDonald brothers open their first drive-in, in suburban California. It was the first time that the hamburger debuted in the suburbs. 10 years later, McDonald’s had sold over 100 million hamburgers. Now, they sell over 75 hamburgers per second.
In 2012, The Committed Pig opened its first restaurant in Manasquan, New Jersey. Since then, we have expanded to be three stores strong with sister locations in Summit and Morristown. At, The Committed Pig, we pride ourselves on our award winning burgers and 7 days a week, a la carte brunch. Come celebrate National Hamburger Month at any of our locations this May!