Happy 4th of July everyday! Me being an American, this day means a lot for my nation and for me individually. This is the day the United States of America gained independence and started building this great nation. Every year I would remember the patriotism, the fireworks, and of course, the steaming hot barbeque! Welcome to Mei Wei Café's 4th of July special where we will be discussing a very important Dish of the Day that is relevant to this holiday and to America! This time we will be tasting, hamburgers!
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| The one food most people think of when they think about America! The succulent burger. |
Taste and Ingredients:
Oh the juicy, greasy, meaty burger is more classic and delicious than it looks or sounds. Generally the makeup of a hamburger is a cooked ground beef patty/steak between two slices of toasted bread/buns. The meat can be grilled, fried, baked, flame broiled, smoked, anything that can heat and cooked the patty to a delicious succulent burger. The fun part is the toppings and things that can go inside the burger. Anything can create a burger and make it extra special. The usual and somewhat mandatory ingredients between the hamburger are lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and a slice of cheese! (technically it will be become a cheeseburger) These toppings give the hot and heavy burger a nice crunch and new levels of flavors and a balance of nutrition. But really! Anything can become a topping! From a fried egg, avocado, bacon, mushrooms, pineapples, kimchi, and even gold, and a plethora of sauces, the beauty of the burger is how you build it to suit your taste and appetite! Traditionally the burger is served with bed of fresh French Fries (chips) and a cut of a pickle. And do not worry my vegan/vegetarian friends, nowadays there plenty of vegetarian options including meatless, lentil, black bean, tofu, and even potato patties.
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| A vegetarian option or a burger with a black bean burger instead of a meat patty with avocados and tomatoes. |
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| Everything a burger should be with delicious toppings, fries, and pickles. Add a nice cold Cola and you are tasting America! |
Origins and History:
The burger is bona fide delicious and full of mei wei but it is also shrouded in mystery. The controversial part of this food is its origin. Though the burger is the icon and image of American food, the burger is not necessarily as American as it seems! There is little recorded and written history on where the burger is from. The United States Library of Congress claims that it is invented by a Danish immigrant. But several other sources claim credit for creating the burger. There are several other sources that trace this back to Hamburg, Germany. Hamburger being named after Hamburg is a very likely origin. Being a port city, German sailors or northern European immigrants coming to America from Hamburg might have introduced and popularized this dish. Historically minced patties and bread has always been eaten separately especially in Europe. Most likely several people invented this dish as it seems rather simple and convenient to combine bread and patty. The burger is well associated with America and it well should be, as America is created upon immigrant influence and serves as a melting pot society. It was not until the 1950s when burgers got popular due to the spread of outdoor and indoor grilling, especially on 4th of July! A reason for this popularity is to show off the fortune and simple and happy lifestyle of the average American household during the Cold War. Regardless of its background and history, proper thanks should be given to various creators for crafting such an ingenious dish!
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| Usually the patties and bread are eaten separately. |
Variations:
Ever since the burger blew up internationally it has spread to so many countries and the tables of everyone! Due to it being easy to make and uses relatively cheap beef to make, it is a popular way to enjoy a stereotypically American and filling meal. Burgers now have so many classes ranging from cheap fast food quality burgers to high end very fancy burgers.
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| The quality of burgers could range from this basic fast food burger, |
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| To this sit down diner quality, |
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| And this... very over the top burger made by the best chefs with truffles, gold, and who knows what with a whopping price tag. |
Besides beef several other patties could be made into a burger including pork, chicken, seafood, and even popular American restaurants serve exotic burgers like bison and kangaroo. There are also so many different kinds of burgers like sliders (mini burgers), patty melts (burgers with slices of toast instead of buns), Salisbury/Hamburg Steak (a burger without buns and a layer of sauce is usually the only topping), steak tartar (Raw Hamburg Steaks seasoned), protein styled (burgers with lettuce as buns), and even Ramen Burgers! (Burgers with ramen buns). Being an international dish, there are also other countries with their own unique versions of burgers like the Turkish kofta, the Serbian pljeskavica, the Danish Bofsandwhich, and even the Vegetarian Indian Vada Pav made of potatoes.
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| Salisbury/Hamburg Steak is just the burger and nothing else. Historically, this is how burgers were served. |
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| Steak Tartar, a form of burger that is actually raw! This is actually very delicious and doesn't taste like anything it looks like! |
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| Some genius created the Ramen burger molding ramen into buns. |
Some variations of the burger can be very interesting as well, like the luther burger with frosted donuts as the bun... Yes nothing sounds more American than a greasy burger with fried bacon between two glazed donuts... Speaking of American, there exists a food challenge that is so American it can put any others to shame. Around America, massive burger challenges exist where huge burgers weighing as much as 5lbs (around 2.2 kg) and sometimes even more are give to individuals to devour within a certain timeframe! Wherever there is a burger culture, there will be variations to keep us refreshed and entertained.
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| Huge burger challenges like this exist all over the US! Inbox me for my personal story... |
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| Luther burger, the dream of some and nightmare of many... well don't judge until you try! |
Influence and Aftermath:
As stated earlier, burgers are an international phenomenon and is one of the most consumed foods in the world and one of the most influential ones as well. Not only has it influenced itself into the diet and local cuisines of everywhere around the world, several restaurants particularly fast food restaurants are influenced by burgers. Burgers are one of the most sold food items especially in America. This has lead to massive production of burger patties which are usually frozen and easy to cook at home and at restaurants with a longer shelf life than usual. This is done to keep in demand with burgers in the US and around the world. Due to the popularity of burgers in America and it being America's culinary icon, the media loves to spread this image. Knowing how influential American media like Hollywood can be, burgers in the media has made its way around the world and everyone knows about it and a lot of people want to have some of. The desire comes from easy access and all the cool American actors chowing down on this delicious sandwich. Being so easy to get, cheap, tasty, and culturally acceptable, we can see why the burger can be so popular especially with the younger crowd. Of course we have to mention the controversy of the nutritional and health dangers that fast food lifestyles could bring as shown by several documentaries. It is true that eating a lot of fast food chains, burgers being one of the major fast food restaurants, will cause damage. However several other sources point out its all about control and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So just pay attention to the quality and quantity of consumption like you do with all foods, then we will be safely able to enjoy burgers!
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| Fast food burgers like this from In N Out are mass produced and sold all over the world with the ever-growing demand. |
Closing Thoughts:
We live in a globalized world where it is easy to communicate with one another and easy to share ideas. So nowadays almost everyone knows about burgers, making it a dish we can all somehow relate to. Each dish has a story to tell and a flavor to be explored, burgers prove to be very relevant to everyone so tell me about your favorite burger, toppings, and some variations in your hometown! Contact me for further questions, comment, things I failed to cover, and other suggestions for the next Dish of the Day! Its been real, see you guys next time at Mei Wei Café! Happy 4th of July and happy grilling up those burgers! Also, stay tuned as I will make a Top 10 list of burger chains and restaurants in the US and around the world to check out!
Contact me at:
Meiweicafe@gmail.com
