Many places claim to be the original home of the hamburger; from Hamburg Germany to the Mongolian steppes of north eastern China. Certainly, each claim has one thing in common – the meal was made to be eaten on the move. Yes, it appears it was always considered a ‘fast food’ and included a piece of meat, which most likely was surrounded by a bread.
In 1948 the iconic McDonald’s became famous for their 15-cent hamburger, and today the US is seen as the home of the modern hamburger with approximately 40 billion burgers being eaten there per year. A decade ago, Australia’s newspaper The Courier Mail, reported that Aussies consumed nearly a burger a day for every man, woman and child. Our appetite for them has not waned.
Burgers may still be fast food, but today they’re also a craft cuisine. No longer produced just by chain restaurants – but served at home filled with fresh and delicious meat patties, lettuce, tomato, mushroom, bacon, cheese and sauces, all within a bun of choice.
Hamburgers – so quick and easy to cook at barbecues and for the family dinner, and always a favourite as everyone can build their own to suit. And what parent didn’t start their junior chef in the kitchen helping rustle up this much-loved meal?
Burgers are a quintessential part of our summer and a home cooked burger cannot be beaten. And it all starts with our local butcher.
