The widest-reported "first" appearance of the hamburger most commonly cited in the lore of foodservice was that the product appeared at the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904. But the man who gave the hamburger its contemporary look and sought to expand the products appeal through chain operations was J. Walter Anderson, a Wichita, Kan., resident who went on to co-found the White Castle Hamburger system, the oldest continuously running burger chain.
However, there is a history that in late eighteenth century, the largest port in Europe was in Germany. Sailors who visited port brought special food called “Hamburg steak” as a popular usage. It was a hard slab of salted minced beef, often slightly smoked, mixed with onions and breadcrumbs. Immigrants arriving England at that time also bring new food with consist of chopped beef, suet, and spices.
The other famous story is that Charlie Nagreen of Wisconsin, at age 15, sold hamburgers from his ox-drawn food stand at the Outagamie County Fair. He went to the Outagamie County Fair and set up a stand selling meatballs. Business wasn't good and he quickly realized that it was because meatballs were too difficult to eat while strolling around the fair. In a flash of innovation, he flattened the meatballs, placed them between two slices of bread and called his new creation a hamburger. He was known to many as "Hamburger Charlie." He returned to sell hamburgers at the fair every year until his death in 1951.
Food History
