The Hamburger was invented in Hamburg, Germany, so it's name has nothing to do with what it's made of.

'Hamburger' is derived from the term "hamburg steak", named after the German town, Hamburg. Commoners in Hamburg began eating ground beef patties around the 18th century. People in America began putting these "hamburg steaks" between 2 slices of bread and the name was shortened to 'Hamburger'. The people of Hamburg did not invent this delicious dish that bears their town's name... as is explained below. The long answer: During a trip to Asia in the early 1700s, a German merchant - it is said - noticed that the nomadic Tartars softened their meat by keeping it under their saddles. The motion of the horse pounded the meat to bits. The Tartars would then scrape it together and season it for eating. The idea of pounded beef found its way back to the merchant's home town of Hamburg where cooks broiled the meat and referred to it as it as Hamburg meat. German immigrants introduced the recipe to the US. The term "hamburger" is believed to have appeared in 1834 on the menu from Delmonico's restaurant in New York but there is no surviving recipe for the meal. The first mention in print of "Hamburg steak" was made in 1884 in the Boston Evening Journal. The honour of producing the first proper hamburger goes to Charlie Nagreen of Seymour, WI. In 1885 Nagreen introduced the American hamburger at the Outgamie County Fair in Seymour. (Seymour is recognised as the hamburger capital of the world.) However, there is another claim to that throne. There is an account of Frank and Charles Menches who, also in 1885, went to the Hamburg, New York county fair to prepare their famous pork sausage sandwiches. But since the local meat market was out of pork sausage, they used ground beef instead. Alas, another hamburger. The first account of serving ground meat patties on buns - taking on the look of the hamburger as we know it today - took place in 1904 at the St. Louis World Fair. But it was many years later, in 1921, that an enterprising cook from Wichita, Kansas, Walt Anderson, introduced the concept of the hamburger restaurant. He convinced financier Billy Ingram to invest $700 to create The White Castle hamburger chain. It was an instant success. The rest of the history, we might say, belongs to McDonald's. And, no, a hamburger does not have any ham in it. Well, it's not supposed to. Hamburger meat usually is made of 70-80% beef, and fat and spices. Don't get me started on Salsbury Steak...

Here is the history of hamburgers..... http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HamburgerHistory.htm Turns out it comes from Hamburg, Germany, and spread by being cooked in the 'hamburg style' which then became the hamburger.

As a matter of fact, i was born and raised in germany, and from my knowledge of that of hamburgers,the name did not have to do with it's town but of a market in germany that was famous for it's delicious greens drink. They later came up with a delicious sandwhich,which today is known as a hamburger, but originally was known as a "hamber" which was the name of the owners son's pet bird. The owner of the market wanted to start a snack bar for locals. Since it was a family business he let his son have a part in helping their family business grow. So the son thought that since their famous greens drink was the color green,he thought it looked like his boogers,knowing how much of a prankster he is, his dad was not surprised when his imagination led him toward the idea of coming up with a combination betweeen the famous drink and the sandwhich. Which was finally named "hamburger" by the son of the market owner in Germany,and it has caught on ever since.

As a matter of fact, i was born and raised in germany, and from my knowledge of that of hamburgers,the name did not have to do with it's town but of a market in germany that was famous for it's delicious greens drink. They later came up with a delicious sandwhich,which today is known as a hamburger, but originally was known as a "hamber" which was the name of the owners son's pet bird. The owner of the market wanted to start a snack bar for locals. Since it was a family business he let his son have a part in helping their family business grow. So the son thought that since their famous greens drink was the color green,he thought it looked like his boogers,knowing how much of a prankster he is, his dad was not surprised when his imagination led him toward the idea of coming up with a combination betweeen the famous drink and the sandwhich. Which was finally named "hamburger" by the son of the market owner in Germany,and it has caught on ever since.

As a matter of fact, i was born and raised in germany, and from my knowledge of that of hamburgers,the name did not have to do with it's town but of a market in germany that was famous for it's delicious greens drink. They later came up with a delicious sandwhich,which today is known as a hamburger, but originally was known as a "hamber" which was the name of the owners son's pet bird. The owner of the market wanted to start a snack bar for locals. Since it was a family business he let his son have a part in helping their family business grow. So the son thought that since their famous greens drink was the color green,he thought it looked like his boogers,knowing how much of a prankster he is, his dad was not surprised when his imagination led him toward the idea of coming up with a combination betweeen the famous drink and the sandwhich. Which was finally named "hamburger" by the son of the market owner in Germany,and it has caught on ever since.

I'm not too sure about that one. Didn't it oridinate in Hamburg?

It's not named for the meat, but rather for the town it originated...Hamburg, Germany.

Named after the town in Germany.

The reference is to Hamburg, Germany, not the type of meat.

Similar to why a Frankfurter is called a Frankfurter.

No reason to answer this one since they all got it.. ~Nemo~

hamburg,germany

Well, they couldn't very well call them cowburgers, now could they? Heh!

Because if they contained pork they'd be called porkburgers! :p

The age old question... Here is the answer: Hamburg, Germany made the first hamburgers.

Hamburg, Germany it's birth place.

Why are they caled french fries, why is it called sheperds pie, age old questions really. But if you want a real brain bender, if whoever named carrots and oranges named them the other way round, would the general lee be carrot?

I'm pretty sure it was named for the city of Hamburg, Germany. I believe it used to be called "Hamburger steak" back when it was considered an ethnic food.

It comes from the name of North Atlantic shipping company, the Hamburg-America Line. Steerage passengers on the ships of the Hamburg-America Line, immigrating to the US, brought salted beef with them for the Atlantic crossing, and when ready to cook it, they'd pound the hell out of it with a flanged meat hammer, form it into patties, and grill them on improvised barbeques on the fantail of the ships. In New York, wharfside food vendors picked up on the idea, and called them hamburgers.

It was originated in Hamburge Germany. Raiders would cook ground patties of beef and take with them on their journy because it did not spoil as quickly. Years later poor residents in Salsbery seasoned their meats with onions and a crude gavy ...thus salsbury steak.

Supposedly, it made its first appearance in Hamburg, Germany.

It is name after where in became popular. Hamburg Germany. From: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HamburgerHistory.htm Immigrants to the United States from German-speaking countries brought with them some of their favorite foods. One of them was Hamburg Steak. The Germans simply flavored shredded low-grade beef with regional spices, and both cooked and raw it became a standard meal among the poorer classes. In the seaport town of Hamburg, it acquired the name Hamburg steak. Today, this hamburger patty is no longer called Hamburg Steak in Germany but rather "Frikadelle," "Frikandelle" or "Bulette," orginally Italian and French words

One of the great mysteries of the language, no? ;-)