YOU’RE LISTENING TO THE SECOND EPISODE OF HOUNDBITE, THE FOOD
PODCAST ON WHJE.
I’M JOHN GRIFFIN AND I’M SHAE RICKEL AND TODAY WE ARE GOING TO BE
TALKING ABOUT THE HAMBURGER; AN ALL AMERICAN FOOD WHOSE ORIGINS
SEEM MYSTERIOUS AND THE RESULT IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST
SUCCESSFUL FOODS IN THE PAST CENTURY.
ONE QUESTION PEOPLE ASK ALL THE TIME IS WHY IS THE HAMBURGER CALLED
A HAMBURGER WHEN IT CONTAINS ONLY BEEF. THIS IS BECAUSE THE RELATIVE
TO THE BURGER IS KNOWN AS A HAMBURG STEAK, WHICH WAS LIKELY
DEVELOPED IN HAMBURG, GERMANY WITH NO RELATION TO THE PINK HOGS
WE THINK OF IN THE CONTEXT HAMBURGER. THE HAMBURG STEAKS WERE
BROUGHT BY IMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES. HOWEVER, SOME SAY THAT
THE HAMBURG STEAK ACTUALLY COMES FROM ENGLAND. THE HAMBURG
STEAK ITSELF HAS BEEN AROUND FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS AND IS STILL
EATEN TODAY. THE HAMBURG STEAK IS SIMILAR TO A MEATLOAF OR
SALISBURY STEAK AS IT CONTAINS GROUND BEEF, EGGS, BREAD, AND ONIONS
AND THEN MIXED WITH MILK. HAMBURG STEAKS BECAME A POPULAR FOOD,
ESPECIALLY AROUND LARGE GROUPS OF IMMIGRANTS. BUT HOW DID THE POPULAR HAMBURG STEAK BECOME THE BELOVED HAMBURGER WE HAVE
TODAY, WELL THIS IS WHERE THINGS BECOME VERY CONTROVERSIAL
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS’ OFFICIAL CREATOR WAS A DANISH IMMIGRANT
NAMED LOUIS LASSEN WHO SERVED THE STEAK BETWEEN TWO SLICES OF
WHITE BREAD AT HIS RESTAURANT IN NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT. THIS CLAIM
BY LASSEN IS PROBABLY THE MOST ACCEPTED, BUT THERE ARE ALSO OTHER
CLAIMS BY INDIVIDUALS LIKE CHARLES NAGREEN OR FRANK AND CHARLES
MENCHES BUT LOUIS LASSEN GETS THE OFFICIAL TITLE.
DURING THE EARLY 1900S THE HAMBURGER SKYROCKETED IN POPULARITY.
THE EARLY 1900S WERE A TIME OF GREAT WEALTH AND GROWTH FOR THE
COUNTRY. NEW ADVANCES IN TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION
RESULTED IN THE COUNTRY SPEEDING UP, WHICH ALSO MEANT THAT THERE
WAS LESS TIME FOR A SIT DOWN MEAL. THAT IS WHERE THE HAMBURGER
FOUND ITS NICHE AS A NOW INEXPENSIVE, TASTY ADDITION TO THE NEW BUSY
LIVES OF THE EVERYDAY AMERICAN. ANOTHER, UNFORTUNATE ASPECT WAS
THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION WHERE FEW COULD AFFORD
NICETIES SUCH AS BEEF STEAK OR POULTRY, THUS THE HAMBURGER WAS
FURTHER POPULARIZED BY THE MASSES OF AMERICA WHO WERE STRICKEN
WITH ECONOMIC SICKNESS AND TURNED TO A CHEAP ALTERNATIVE AS A
RESULT. IN THE COMING YEARS THE HAMBURGER WOULD EXPAND TO HUGE
CHAINS SUCH AS WHITE CASTLE, MCDONALD'S, AND BIG BOY. THOSE CHAINS
WOULD ALSO SKYROCKET THE BURGER INTO POPULARITY. THE STATE WE ARE IN TODAY IS DOMINATED BY FAST FOOD AND MORE SPECIFICALLY
HAMBURGERS. YOU WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO NOT FIND A HAMBURGER
WITHIN A HALF MILE OF WHEREVER YOU ARE. AS A RESULT, THE RULES OF THE
GAME HAVE CHANGED MEANING THAT COMPANIES MUST DUEL OUT WHO HAS
THE BEST BURGER. SOME RESTAURANTS ARE EVEN CHANGING THE DEFINITION
OF THE HAMBURGER TO FIT THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC. ONE SUCH
RESTAURANT IS PUNCH BURGER LOCATED IN CARMEL WHICH SERVES LOCALLY
SOURCED BEEF AND WELL SOURCED INGREDIENTS WHILE CREATING SOME OF
THE MOST UNIQUE BURGERS AROUND. WE ARE HEADING DOWN THERE TODAY
TO INTERVIEW PUNCH BURGER’S MATT MCGRAW AND FIND OUT WHAT THE
BURGER REALLY MEANS.
[PLAY INTERVIEW]