Among the delicious specialties and tapas that you can find on the menu of our irish pub, our hamburgers homemade are the queens of the party. Its irresistible flavor and variety are the perfect companions to enjoy an unforgettable afternoon with your friends and our passionate sports fans.
Good football, good beer and good food, that is the star combination of Temple Bar, and today we will show you some of the historical curiosities about hamburgers and the anecdotes surrounding them, beyond their fame for be considered street food or junk.
Shall we start?
The origin of the burgers
Although many of us know them for being the star food in the USA, the birthplace of hamburgers is…Rome! Incredible as it may seem, the original hamburger (not the typical McDonald’s) comes from there, in the ancient heart of the eternal city.
The stories of the first hamburger recipe are recorded in the writings of gourmet Marco Gavio Apicio (25-37 BC), specifically in a dish referred to as “isicia omentata”, which at first glance looks quite similar to large fried meatballs.
Important note: Like the current hamburger, this dish used to be eaten together with a piece of bread as a sandwich that the Roman legionnaires used to prepare thanks to its quick preparation and easy transport.
One step further in history with minced meat
Between the conquests of Rome, many of the peoples and tribes, such as the Germans, adopted their customs and once the Western Roman Empire fell, the invaders used some Roman recipes to facilitate the continuous marches.
It is known, for example, that in the 12th century the Mongols used a curious method to grind meat through the saddles, which, together with the galloping of the horse, was easily cooked, resulting in a dish similar to steak.
However, it was not until late medieval times when recipes more similar to hamburgers began to appear, especially minced meat was a highly desired specialty among the upper classes and the bourgeoisie.
A snack that is not a snack
Although the sandwich became a very popular snack during the 17th century, it was not until two centuries later that dishes such as the “Rundstück warm” began to appear, a German specialty, which is prepared in a very similar way to a meat sandwich.
Sailors from large ports like Hamburg used to eat or buy it for their constant work and exchanges with other powers like the United States led to the first restaurants appearing and adapting the dish, renaming it “Hamburg steak”.
This dish was of vital importance during the colonial expansion that, like the Romans and the Mongols, was used as a survival dish. This need was translated into the creation of industrial meat grinders that were distributed throughout the world.
The birth of franchises
Although there are many versions of the origins of the modern hamburger in the USA, it is estimated that its exploitation and boom was during the 19th century, when large corporations such as McDonald’s began to expand by opening restaurants all over the world.
Later, in 1950, the brothers Dick and Mac McDonald began to exploit their hamburgers, since they became the star product of their first location and began to incorporate fries and milkshakes, which to this day continue to make millions of people fall in love.
The impact of the world war
After the defeat of Germany during the First World War, many American veterans, as a result of the events and horrors experienced during the trench warfare, requested to change “Hamburger” to “Liberty Sandwich” to avoid any German name.
Fortunately, said proposal was not implemented, since it advocated hatred towards the defeated.
Two important Guinness records
The world’s largest hamburger was made in 1982 and weighed 1,630 kilos. It is said that this dish fed more than 10,000 people and that its size was very similar to that of an adult hippopotamus.
Likewise, Donald Gorske also known as “The King of Big Mac’s” holds the Guinness record title for the largest number of hamburgers consumed; In total, about 36,400.
The best burgers in Temple Bar
After having completed this impressive historical tour of the history of the hamburger, now is the time to treat your eyes or palates to quality hamburgers that we prepare daily in our Irish pub in Barcelona… Which one will you prefer?
Coming soon new curiosities about our most classic hamburger!
