Be you in the heart of U.S or halfway around the world, when you crave an American meal, you’re probably sinking your teeth into a Burger .
While most Americans can’t remember a time without them, hamburgers only started to become widely popular in the United States about a century ago.
Few hamburger restaurants of that era continue to serve hamburgers made with fresh ground beef daily. Fewer still serve these burgers the way they were made in the past.
George Motz, a hamburger scholar, he devoted more than 20 years of his life to traveling the United States researching these sandwiches. After producing, filming, editing, and directing his 2004 documentary, “Hamburger America,” Motz published a state-by-state guide to burgers, and later, his first cookbook, “The Great American Burger Book,” in 2016.
Most recently, he hosted Burger Scholar Sessions on Complex Media’s “First We Feast,” which is in its fourth season on YouTube.
“I like to say I’ve had more hamburgers in more places than you have,” Motz said.
We’d have to agree: Motz estimates he’s probably eaten around 20,000 hamburgers in his life, with no plans to stop anytime soon.
During his travels, he encountered hamburgers that continue to serve their hamburgers as they did for over a century.
While these establishments stand somewhat in contrast to their countless fast food chains, they are key to the history of the hamburger in the United States.
Motz shared five of the classics with CNN. But first, a little bit of hamburger history.
How the hamburger became an American classic
The hamburger has a well-traveled history.
According to Motz, the origin story of the hamburger begins in 13th century Mongolia, when Mongols and Tatars were fighting.
“Apparently, the Tatars liked raw mutton. They rode all day with raw mutton under their saddles. When they finally set up camp, they would take this raw, hot mutton, chop it up, probably add some spices or something, and eat it that way.”
The dish eventually arrived to send workers and ports along the Baltic Sea, which allowed it to reach more parts of western Europe, including Scandinavia.
From there it finally reached Germany and the port of Hamburg. When it arrived in Germany many centuries later, the dish changed from raw lamb to cooked minced meat, which today is known as frikadellen.
Motz explained that while German immigrants waited for their ships, they ate frikadellen as a cheap and tasty meal option. When they left Hamburg for the United States in the mid-19th century, migrants took their knowledge of the dish with them.
“Frikadellen ended up making its way to the States, and I can imagine that frikadellen meant nothing to most people who lived in the US, unless you were German from Hamburg, it was simply a Hamburg steak.”
As German immigrants moved to the western United States to farm, state fairs also began to appear.
Farmers from all walks of life attended these fairs to learn about different farming practices and equipment. According to Motz, German immigrants set up their own stalls serving Hamburg steak, which was considered an ethnic food at the time.
While hot dogs predate hamburgers as fair and cheap food, Motz says he believes the hot dog inspired several places to eventually start putting hamburger steaks on buns, making hamburger sandwiches, and eventually the hamburger.
No one can say for sure who did it first.
“There were about 7 to 9 claims across the Midwest, Texas, Ohio and Wisconsin, a lot. Unfortunately, there’s no way to definitively prove who first put the hamburger steak on a bun,” Motz said. “It happened everywhere at the same time, and no one was reporting about it.”
Continuing an American classic
The trend caught on and restaurants started serving the sandwiches. Hamburgers are now a point of pride in American cuisine, Motz said.
“The hamburger is pretty much the only food invention in America in the last 100 years or so. It started out as typical German food, but we took it and made it different by putting it on bread.”
Having withstood the tests of time, from the Great Depression to Covid-19 and everything in between, some vintage burger restaurants remain standing today.
Whether you’re taking a road trip or a burger pilgrimage, here are five burger joints that still serve fresh and original American burgers to visit in the United States:
Louis’ Lunch (New Haven, Connecticut)
Among the oldest places serving classic burgers is Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut.
Now in its fourth generation of owners, this family-run restaurant has been serving customers since 1895.
Using fresh ground beef daily, Louis’ Lunch cooks its burgers vertically (yes, you read that right) on its three vertical cast-iron stoves dating back to 1898.
Stored in a grill basket, the hamburgers are slid onto the stoves and cooked by flames on both sides.
Choosing your burger isn’t complicated either. “The Original Burger” is your only option, served on white bread. To enhance the flavor of the meat, the only garnishes you can add are onions, cheese, and a slice of tomato. If you’re expecting ketchup, you’ll need to go elsewhere!
White Manna (Hackensack, New Jersey)
Located in Hackensack, New Jersey, White Manna has garnered local and national acclaim. It was founded in 1939 at the New York World’s Fair and then moved to Hackensack in 1946, according to its website.
Famous for its sliders served in Martin’s Potato Rolls, this old-fashioned diner uses extra lean ground beef delivered fresh daily.
With cheese and onion topping options, you can’t go wrong with a must-try burger.
Powers Hamburgers (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Originally founded in Dearborn, Michigan, before moving to its current Indiana headquarters, Powers Hamburgers has been serving the city of Fort Wayne since 1940.
Onions are a must on every slider, whether you’re biting into a regular hamburger or a double cheeseburger. Don’t expect any sort of stuffing like lettuce or tomato, and it’s up to you to add ketchup, mayonnaise or hot sauce after the burger is served.
Mike Hall, owner and cook at Powers, estimates that about 1,300 to 1,500 hamburgers come off the grill every day.
“There is no real place like Powers. We serve a unique burger in a unique building, and it’s a place where people come to relive their memories. It’s really been a blessing to be involved with this for all these years.”
The Cozy Inn (Salina, Kansas)
The Cozy Inn celebrated a century of customer service in Salina, Kansas, in March.
“There’s a lot of love involved in making the best burger,” said Steve Howard, the owner. “It’s simple: lean meat, salt and pepper, fresh onions, and then we give you your choice of ketchup, mustard and pickles. We’ve been doing this for 100 years.”
Smoky River Meats, a local butcher, provides fresh ground beef daily at the restaurant. Cozy Inn opened in 1922
Hamburger Wagon (Miamisburg, Ohio)
Long before food trucks existed, the Hamburger Wagon hit the Miamisburg, Ohio scene in 1913.
It was initially created to provide food for refugees from the Great Flood in Miamisburg, according to its website. Once the floodwaters receded, residents asked for more sliders and it has been one of the city’s premier dining experiences ever since.
Staff have been transporting this mobile restaurant for over a century. Like many of the country’s oldest hamburgers, the Hamburger Wagon’s menu is small: single or double, served with pickles, onions, salt and pepper.
“No smelly cheese or sloppy sauces!” it’s written right in the center of the menu. And if you’re planning on heading to the Hamburger Wagon, be sure to bring cash.
Why the history of the hamburger matters
Like many things after its creation, the hamburger was commoditized, from the shape of meat and buns to the practice of frozen foods.
So whether they know it or not, hamburger restaurants like the ones listed above play an active role in preserving the original American hamburger.
“The hamburger is a very important part of working-class roots in America,” Motz told CNN. “Hamburgers fed all factory workers during the Industrial Age.”
For anyone who might be skeptical of the dilapidated look of the restaurants or how they cook their burgers, Motz points out that many of these places have been open for over a century for a reason.
“Some of these places look greasy, some look old, some might look tired, but they really need to be appreciated for what they are, which is the original American burger.”
Source: CNN Brasil
