Why Do We Call It a Hamburger When It’s Made of Beef?

Order a hamburger at any restaurant or fast food joint, and you’ll get a tasty sandwich filled with juicy grilled beef. But despite the name, traditional hamburgers contain no ham. So why exactly do we call them hamburgers?

The history of the humble hamburger is long and contested. While we can’t pinpoint exactly who invented it, the evidence points to Hamburg, Germany as the origin of the name.

In this article, I’ll walk through the fascinating backstory of how the hamburger got its confusing moniker, even though it’s beef not ham between those buns.

Hamburg Steaks – The Origins

Many food historians believe hamburgers evolved from a German dish called ‘Hamburg steaks’. These were made from minced beef, combined with onion, egg, breadcrumbs and spices.

In the 19th century, Hamburg was a major port city. New cooking techniques saw the rise of Hamburg steaks – the predecessors to modern hamburgers.

When Germans immigrated to America in large numbers, they brought over their traditional Hamburg steaks These beef patties were fried up in pans and eaten across the country

So Why Add ‘Ham’ to the Name?

In the late 1800s, Americans started putting Hamburg steaks between two slices of bread. This created the first proper hamburger sandwiches.

But why rename them hamburgers? There were a few key theories:

• The beef patties resembled a style of smoked German sausage called ‘Hamburgh sausage’ – this may have inspired the new name.

• The name was shorthand for Hamburg steaks – the original minced beef dish from Hamburg.

• Some claim a cook named the dish after the city of Hamburg, New York – but evidence is scarce.

Regardless of the specifics, the ‘ham’ in hamburger seems to nod generally to German culinary roots. But beef was the star filling right from the start.

So Why Isn’t it a ‘Beef Burger’?

Given burgers contain no ham, you might think ‘beef burger’ would be a more sensible name. Some restaurants do market their sandwiches as ‘beef burgers’.

But despite the confusing name, ‘hamburger’ has stuck as the universal term. A couple of factors helped cement ‘hamburger’ as the go-to phrase:

• In the late 1800s ‘Hamburg steaks’ and ‘hamburgers’ were both used to describe beef patties. The latter likely won out for being catchier and shorter.

• McDonald’s and other fast food chains popularised ‘hamburger’ in their mass marketing from the 1940s onwards.

• Traditional Hamburg steaks from Germany have remained niche. So the term ‘hamburger’ is now forever tied to the beef sandwich rather than the Hamburg originals.

A Rose by Any Other Name…

At the end of the day, does the exact name really matter when those hot patties sandwiched between soft buns taste so good? While the name ‘hamburger’ might not make logical sense, it’s certainly part of the dish’s quirky charm today.

Some key facts on the history of the iconic hamburger:

• The first printed use of ‘hamburger’ seems to be in a 1894 newspaper referring to a ‘hamburger sandwich’.

• By the 1920s diner and grill sandwiches were commonly called hamburgers across America.

• McDonald’s cemented the name when they put the hamburger on their first national menu in the 1940s.

• USA Today estimates around 14 billion hamburgers are consumed in America every year!

So next time you sink your teeth into a juicy beef burger, you’ll know why it’s called a hamburger, even though there’s no sign of ham inside. The confusing name simply nods to the evolution of the dish from German Hamburg steaks brought over by immigrants to America.

A Hamburg By Any Other Name

To wrap up, here are some amusing facts about global variations of the name ‘hamburger’:

• In Brazil the term is ‘hambúrguer’ – the Portuguese take on hamburger.

• In China they are ‘hanbaobao’ meaning ‘Hamburg bun’.

• In Japan you’ll see ‘hanbaagu’ on menus – their pronunciation of hamburger.

• Some parts of the UK refer to them simply as ‘burgers’.

• Vegans might order a ‘veggie burger’ or ‘plant-based burger’ to specify no meat.

• But regardless of the name, nothing beats the enjoyment when biting into a perfectly cooked, ketchup-oozing beef burger!

So there you have it. While the name might seem odd, the history of the hamburger is actually surprisingly straightforward. It pays homage to Hamburg steaks, not ham ingredients. But the end result is just as mouthwatering. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly feeling hungry for a good old hamburger now!