What's in a Name?...

A burger of any other name would taste just as delicious...

Why is called a hamburger if it's made of beef?

If you're wondering this very thing, you're not alone... And the answer is very simple!

The very first hamburger was created in 
Hamburg, Germany! 

The exact origin is still a bit fuzzy, though. Here's a couple theories to chew on:

-German immigrants who traveled to the United States during the 19th century brought with them their favorite meal called Hamburg Style Beef-- a raw chopped, piece of beef.

-A group of nomadic people called the Tartars tenderized their beef by placing it under a horse's saddle--flattening it into a patty. 

-Residents of Hamburg, New York, which was named after Hamburg, Germany, attribute the hamburger to Ohioans Frank and Charles Menches. According to legend, the Menches brothers were vendors at the 1885 Erie County Fair when they ran out of sausage for sandwiches and used beef instead, naming the result after the location of the fair.

-Some argue Americans placed the first cooked beef patty on a roll at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1921.

-The Seymour Community Historical Society of Seymour, Wisconsin, credit Charlie Nagreen. Now known as "Hamburger Charlie," Nagreen was fifteen when he reportedly made sandwiches out of meatballs he was selling at the 1885 Outagamie County Fair (now the Seymour Fair), so that customers could eat while walking. The Historical Society explains that Nagreen named the hamburger after the Hamburg steak with which local German immigrants were familiar.

and finally...

-In April of 1995, the Dallas Morning News reported that an Oklahoma author says Tulsa beats out Texas as the birthplace of hamburgers. Michael Wallis, author of "Route 66, The Mother Road," was quoted by the newspaper to say he had discovered Tulsa's place in culinary history. The discovery was made while researching the state’s tastiest hamburgers. What better place to start than the restaurant that has been voted Tulsa's best burger more often than any other restaurant since 1933…Weber’s Root Beer Stand.

Mr. Wallis’ research revealed that Oscar Weber Bilby was the first person to serve a real hamburger. On July 4, 1891, ground beef was served on his wife’s homemade buns. The Fourth of July party took place on his farm, just west of present day Tulsa. Until then, ground beef had been served in Athens, Texas on simple slices of bread, known presently and then as a "patty melt." According to the Tulsa-based author, the bun is essential. Therefore, in 1995, Governor Frank Keating cited Athens, Texas' feat of ground beef between two slices of bread to be a minor accomplishment. (Editor's note: understandable.)

The Governor's April 1995 Proclamation also cites the first true hamburger on the bun, as meticulous research shows, was created and consumed in Tulsa in 1891.

The Governor's Proclamation cites April 13, 1995 as Tulsa as  

"The Real Birthplace of the Hamburger."

^{All hail Tulsa. Whatever you believe as the true origin of our beloved sandwich, let's take it all with a grain of sesame and just acknowledge that we're all grateful that it did get invented and keep the dream of the Germans, Tartars, or Oklahomans ALIVE!}

^{All information was taken from multiple sites including 
Wikipedia.com & iabeef.org.}