What is a hamburger?

A hamburger may be the most eaten piece of meat in the world, but what exactly is it? Very simply put, it is a slice of ground meat, for example from beef, pork or chicken. In this case from Blonde d'Aquitaine. Flattened meat, it was said, but in 2020 that is no longer the case. A hamburger is often eaten between a bun with sauce, tomato, onion and lettuce and is perhaps the figurehead of American fast food culture. A somewhat unhealthy image, although that seems to be changing in recent years. Rightly so too! The trendy hamburger joints are popping up like mushrooms and the versatility of the hamburger seems to have been proven forever... But what is the story behind the burger?

History of the hamburger

The history of the hamburger goes way back. It's actually a bit of a mystery, because no one really knows exactly how it works. While one person claims that the origin of the hamburger lies in the US, the other will stick to the city of Hamburg. It is said that ground meat was 'discovered' in Mongolia, where warriors from Genghis Khan's army placed a piece of beef between horse and saddle to grind and tenderize the meat. Smart isn't it? After the conquest of Moscow, flat meat was introduced and it was the Russians who further developed the flat piece of meat.

Around 1600, the flat meat dish spread to Western Europe - Hamburg to be precise. Here the flat meat really got a stage, but with a new dimension: the Hamburgers decided to fry the meat (lightly). And that's where the hamburger might really see the light of day.

Hamburger sandwich

Of course, the Americans have incorporated the hamburger a long time ago and they maintain that they are responsible for the creation of the meat slice. However, it was really the German immigrants who brought the steak hamburg style, or hamburger, to the US. There, in New York, at Delmonico's, the first hamburger was put on the menu in 1830 and in 1900 it was the Americans who added the iconic bun to the piece of meat. In that sense, you could say that the famous hamburger sandwich originated in the US. Be that as it may: the hamburger has undergone quite an evolution and today you can literally go in any direction with it.

Hamburger from Blonde d'Aquitaine

Every week my father Jan Lantinga Sr. goes. visit regular farmers in the region to personally select our beef. Farmers who are good for their animals and guarantee quality. So we know exactly where our meat comes from, far away from mass industry. Super important, of course, because good origin is not only good for the animal, but also benefits the taste and quality! You can also taste the good origin in this hamburger from Blonde d'Aquitaine.