You're Listening to the Second Episode of Houndbite
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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] .