Origin of the Cheeseburger

I found an interesting page that gives five different explanations as to where the cheeseburger originated from. You can decide for yourself which story you would like to believe.

Before we even start talking about cheese we must trace the history of the plain old Hamburger. This story goes as far back as the 11th Century when the Mongols carried flat patties of meat with them on long horseback trips. These Mongols would travel to Moscow and the idea of a flat patty of meat spread through the city and was eventually brought to Hamburg in Germany by sailers. From here it spread to the New York and the meat patty became known as a Hamburg Steak or Hamburger.

Tracing the source of the Hamburger (the meat patty in two pieces of bread) gets a little more tricky. The actual hamburger bun is said to be invented in 1916 by Walter Anderson, a short-order cook and founder of the first Hamburger chain ‘White Castle’. But the Hamburger was around much earlier and was made using two pieces of normal sliced bread.
One claim of inventing the Hamburger sandwich comes from Charlie Nagreen of Seymour, Wisconsin, U.S.. In 1885, he tried selling fried meatballs at a county fair, but customers found them hard to eat while walking around the fair, so Nagreen flattened it and made it into a sandwich he called the “hamburger”.

Hamburg, New York, U.S. also claims credit for the invention of the hamburger. This village celebrates a “Burgerfest” every summer, held to mark the anniversary of the hamburger’s creation at the Erie County Fair in 1885 by the Menches brothers.

Another claim is made by a small diner in the town of New Haven, Connecticut, U.S., named Louis’ Lunch. It is sometimes credited with having invented this quick businessman’s meal for busy office workers in 1900. Similar claims are made from almost every US state!

The first cheeseburger was created between 1924 and 1926 by a chef named Lionel Sternberger in Pasadena, California, USA. The anecdote goes along the lines of a passing homeless man suggested Sternberger should add a slice of cheese to his hamburger order, Sternberger then added this to his main menu and the cheeseburger was born.

Other places have claimed the invention of the cheeseburger as part of their local legend. Louisville, Kentucky-based Kaelin’s Restaurant has claimed to invent the cheeseburger in 1934. [1] The following year, the trademark for the name “cheeseburger” was awarded to Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado.

So we can’t be 100% sure who first had the idea of slapping a piece of cheese on top of the burger patty to create our beloved cheeseburger, but we do know that the cheeseburger is an all American creation that has been exported all over the world. We love the cheeseburger.

http://www.cheese-burger.net/history

Cheeseburger Pie?

What happened to just eating a burger cooked on the grill? Well, I guess people got bored because according to Janette Morrissey, there is a recipe for a cheeseburger pie. She found this recipe on the back of a box of Bisquick baking mix many years ago and gave it to one of her friends. Here it is:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup Bisquick baking mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.

In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.

In a small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.

Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serves 6.

Per serving: 271 calories, 24 grams protein, 14 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 11 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 139 milligrams cholesterol, 522 milligrams sodium

Police: Man Fatally Shot Over Cheeseburger

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A St. Louis man is dead and a teenager is in custody after a shooting over a cheeseburger.

The victim is 26-year-old Carl Sharp. The name of the 16-year-old suspect has not been released.

Police say Sharp returned home around 12:30 a.m. Sunday after purchasing three cheeseburgers at a Rally's restaurant. The suspect apparently became angry because he had requested two burgers, not three, and an argument began.

The men ate the sandwiches and the suspect left. A short time later, police say the teen returned and shot Sharp three times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 16-year-old fled the scene on a bicycle and was taken into custody Sunday afternoon.
Sharp was a recent college graduate who is survived by his wife and two children.

(Copyright ©2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Monday August 4, 2008


This is ridiculous. Cheeseburgers are not that important to give someone reason to take another's life. So he got three cheesburgers instead of two, big deal. He should have been happy to get another cheeseburger. This just shows how dangerous some people can be, and how angry people can become.

World's Smallest Cheeseburger

Earlier in my blog I showed you all the world's largest cheeseburger. Well, not only is there the world's BIGGEST cheeseburger, but I have found the world's SMALLEST cheeseburger!

This cheeseburger is assembled exactly like a normal burger with all the fixings, however the burger is equal to the size of a sweet and low packet. Though it is interesting, it is not very filling. I do not think anybody will be selling or buying these mini cheeseburgers. You take one bite and the whole thing is gone. You would have to eat like fifty of these mini burgers to even start to feel full. Not only that, you would have to keep your eye on this burger, a small insect might be able to carry it away. Alright enough with the jokes, I present to you the World's Smallest Cheeseburger. Enjoy!

Cheeseburger in a Can?

So what is the deal with the "cheeseburger in a can?" Are people that lazy to fire up the grill, heat the stove, or even pull out a George Foreman? I mean honestly, who would prefer to eat a cheeseburger from a can over a cheeseburger that is home cooked, or even cooked at McDonald's? I thought this was a joke when first reading about this new canned product, but it is not.

Cheeseburger in a can is made by a German camping-supplies company. This company does not send to the United States, but according to the people of this website: http://www.avclub.com/articles/taste-test-cheeseburger-in-a-can,2183/

they were able to obtain one of these cheeseburgers through eBay. The taste test proved to be disasterous. Here are some of the taste test reactions:

• "Why would they put sauce on it already? That's retarded!" "You know what's retarded? A cheeseburger in a can."
• "Oh, that looks so gross. It's so grey. It's the greyest meat ever."
• "It looks more greenish to me."
• "It's got this horrible film on it."
• "It's really mealy-looking. Does anyone read German? Are we sure there's meat in there?"

After seeing these reviews, I do not plan on buying cheeseburger in a can on eBay for the "experience." We must keep in mind, however, that the cheeseburger is created for campers, but still. What camper decides to bring cheeseburger in a can for they get hungry? There are plenty of other foods to eat when going on a camping trip. Either way, cheeseburger in a can is a ridiculous idea and is not the way an American cheeseburger should be eaten.

White Castle

Cheeseburgers hold such an important role within the food world of our society that Hollywood was capable of producing a movie that centered around White Castle, a burger joint. The movie, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, follow two college students who crave burgers from White Castle. They encounter many obstacles but eventually reach their destination. The movie was so popular that producers were able to create a second movie.

I find it amazing that Hollywood was able to make such a popular movie that surrounded a food item we all relate to America. White Castle is not even a popular burger joint when compared to McDonald's, Burger King, or Wendy's. However, the story was not based on the restaurant, but the cheeseburgers. When the two students reach White Castle they order an absurd amount of cheeseburgers, and they make them look so good. When your done watching the movie, it almost makes you want to go to White Castle.

Here is a video clip from the end of the movie, Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v0sRgAn_NQ

Which is Better For You?

There is always the question of which burger is healthier: Burger King or McDonald's? Well, the easiest way to discover the answer to this question is by looking at the nutritional facts of each burger.


(1st Nutrition Fact: Burger King Whopper)
(2nd Nutrition Fact: McDonald's Big Mac)


Looking at the evidence above, it looks as though McDonald's Big Mac is much better for you than a Burger King Whopper. The Whopper has nearly double the fat and double the amount of calories per serving. It also has double the cholesterol. Looking at the facts, if I were trying to eat "healthy fast food" I would have to choose the Big Mac over the Whopper.


(I always thought Burger King was healthier because it was "grilled" but I guess that was a misconception)

Big Mac vs Whopper (Cont'd)

I was just looking at more "Whopper Virgin" commercials and found a video that answers some of my doubts and questions that I brought up in my previous post. This video is more of a documentary that takes place during the burger testing. It answered one of my criticisms right away when they explain that the burgers are bought fifteen minutes prior to the testing, so it could be considered a fair contest. Also, after watching the documentary I was convinced that these people were unaware of McDonald's and Burger King, so they can truly be considered "Whopper Virgins." Maybe I should have done a bit more research before posting my last entry.

Here is the documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp6nTooK1wo

Big Mac vs Whopper

We've all seen the most recent technique that Burger King has been advertising for its most popular burger, the Whopper. It is more of a test actually. The test is a contest between Burger King's Whopper and McDonald's Big Mac. Seeing as it is a Burger King commercial, the advertisement / contest is biased towards the Whopper. This is a link to one of the "Whopper Virgin" commercials.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqmck0PU4KU

The commercials claim to find people who have never tasted a Big Mac or Whopper and see which burger they prefer. However, how does the public know that the burgers are in fact the burgers that we, as consumers, recieve when we go to one of these fast food restaurants? We do not even know if these "Whopper Virgins" are real people or paid actors. Burger King's advertisement is a very good idea, but one that does not prove one burger to be better than the other. Is it possible that many people chose the Big Mac over the Whopper? Certaintly. Though, are those responses made into commercials? No. The only true way to determine which burger is more successful is by profit. It is impossible to determine which burger tastes better because it depends on a person's preferences. These commercials do not convince the viewer of anything, other than one person from Transylvania thought a Whopper was better than a Big Mac. Who would even know if the Big Mac was fresh? Burger King representatives could be feeding these "Whopper Virgins" Big Macs that were made days ago. There are too many variables to prove to any viewer that the Whopper is better than the Big Mac.