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 ; 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 . THIS IS BECAUSE THE RELATIVE

TO THE BURGER IS KNOWN AS A HAMBURG , WHICH WAS LIKELY

DEVELOPED IN HAMBURG, GERMANY WITH NO RELATION TO THE PINK HOGS

WE THINK OF IN THE CONTEXT HAMBURGER. THE HAMBURG 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 , 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]