A MEATBALL BETWEEN TWO SLICES OF BREAD

 

Many European cities have a beef regarding who has possession of the now famous Burger. While different tales regarding its origin exist, the whole concept's actual history still needs to be discovered to many. While most of us like to associate the word 'Burger' with the United States, the idea of grinding up meat and turning it into a patty dates back hundreds of years. 

Isicia Omentata, a Roman recipe is said to be the first actual version of meatballs. This dish consists of ancient Roman meatballs which are mainly composed of minced pork, wine, pepper, and garum (fermented fish sauce), wrapped in Caul fat (a thin membrane that surrounds the inner organs of animals). Caul fat was the highlight of the dish. It provided that magic taste to the otherwise tasteless meatball. Even after the fall of the Roman empire, these meatballs carved their significance in medieval recipe books under various names. 

As time passed, different variations of the dish started to unfold. Fish, vegetables, and sometimes even fruits started to replace these meatballs. And then came another evolution in the history of these meatballs. These meatballs started to be rolled out in an oval shape, later to be termed patties. 

Unlike Rome, Britain had a different approach towards these meatballs. They used these flavourful balls of meat to be used as a garnish for lavish dishes such as turkey roast. Around the same time, Georgians came up with their own version of meatballs but in a very distinctive way. Hamburg Sausage as they labeled it, came with yet another eccentric accompaniment which was titled Catsup, later called Ketchup, and rose to popularity. 

Though Rome, Britain, and Georgia created a foundation for the modern-day Burger, it was the US that finally put all the ingredients together to create the modern-day dish. Hamburg Steaks became a country favorite as most restaurants in America started selling them as a classic. The dish got its name from the German Port of Hamburg, which is known for shipping the world's most high-quality beef. These meatballs were more flat in shape, similar to the modern-day burger patties but made from the offcuts of expensive steak. 

The grinding/mincing machine made it even easier to grind the meat into perfect flat ball shapes. With the advent of the 1890s, these flat meatballs were served between two slices of bread with an option of accompaniments such as ketchup or pickled cucumbers to a large number of factory workers across the US as their lunch meal. This invention led to the coining of the term, 'Hamburger'. 

Unlike other street foods, the Hamburger gained wide popularity due to the easiness of its preparation. WhiteCastle, a popular fast food chain founded in the 1920s, started selling hamburgers with 100% hygiene tags. During the 1930s, the term Hamburgers was shortened to Burgers. By then many other fast food chains such as McDonalds and Wimpy came into the scenario. 

Burgers gained popularity in the UK with the launch of the first Wimpy restaurant. Though initially served luxuriously on a plate with a knife and fork, Burgers spread like wildfire due to the need for 'On-the-go-food'. 

Today, burgers can be found just down the street, even in a local cafeteria. So next time you bite into your burger and wonder about its origin, you know about the whole rampant history behind it!

                                                                                                                     Photo credits:https://www.pexels.com/