Potted History
We all hated history at school but we think the burger’s got a pretty interesting one…here it is in bite size portions:

‘Ye Olde Burger’
If you thought your gran was old then the burger beats her hands down!  Right back in Classical Roman and Medieval times, the burger as we know it started off as meatballs served up a posh nosh for kings and emperors. It was also during these times that meatballs were served up in a sour sauce reminiscent of ketchup so we know that burgers were eaten with relish even in the olden days!

There’s also a popular myth that the medieval Tartars tenderised meat by putting it between the horse and the saddle during their long rides and that this was the origin of Steak Tartare but sorry folks, this is totally unfounded!

Putting the Hamburg into burgers!
Aye Aye sailor – forget lemons and scurvy, salty seadogs in the 18th and 19th century sailing between Hamburg and New York carried large quantities of salted meat on their ships.  And as a tasty treat upon arriving on American shores, the sailors ate the salt beef minced and mixed with onions and breadcrumbs, which then became known as steak cooked in ‘Hamburg’ style…. and hey presto, you now know the origin of the word ‘Hamburger’.

Becoming mass market
Still awake? Hope so as this is now where it all gets interesting. So we have German sailors scoffing hamburg steak down on the docks…how does this translate in to the fast food burger we know today?  Well, in the 1880s a clever bod invented the meat processor, which meant meat could be ground down on a larger scale. At the same time, people started to want food on the go, like we do now, and so clever entrepreneurs all across America saw an exciting gap in the market to serve up hamburgers to the hungry population!

The Burger Pilgrimage
The Burger Pilgrimage is the ultimate gastro-adventure for food lovers – giving you the chance to broaden your horizons as well as your culinary repertoire. Devised by BURGER KING® with the help of leading food historian Caroline Yeadham, it takes food fans on a journey spanning 16 cities, 8 countries and three continents. Costing £3,400 and taking over 35 days to complete, the Pilgrimage is available to buy from STA travel. Or for those who might find the price tag too difficult to stomach, bite-sized packages are available starting from £149.

For details on how to book a place on this mouth-watering adventure visit the STA Travel website at www.statravel.co.uk

 

Ye Old Burger: AD- 17th Century
1. Classical Rome, Italy – the earliest record of a meat patty originates here
2. Cairo, Egypt – a recipe found here is similar to ketchup
3. Valencia, Spain – visiting Kings from England were served meat balls here
4. Welsh Borders Castles, UK – this is where, possibly the poshest meatball was ever served up: they were decorated with expensive spices to look like oranges and sometimes with edible gold!
5. Oxford, UK – a Friar here served up a local version at the medieval colleges
6. Novgorod, Russia – you can acknowledge the long-standing myth re burgers or Steak Tartare originating from under the saddles of the Mongol horsemen here!
7. Rome, Italy – the Pope himself was served a meatball recipe by one of his personal cooks here
8. Versailles, Paris – to acknowledge a tasty development in meatballs: a recipe recorded here says the meat was moulded into pear shapes and incorporated veal, bread, cheese and raisins.  By this point, it’s reported that cheese was probably being used too!
Putting the Hamburg into burgers! 18th – 19th century
9. Hamburg, Germany – to worship at the shrine where the name ‘Hamburger’ comes from!
10. Boston, USA – where the first ‘Hamburg’ steak recipe was found was served up!
11. Seymour, Wisconsin – burgers were served here at the County Fair
12. Akron, Ohio – burgers were served as part of 100 man travelling bands
13. Tusla, Oklahoma – a family claims to have served up the first burger in between a bun
Becoming mass market: 20th- 21st century
14. New Haven, Connecticut – a restaurateur serves up steak sandwiches between toasted bread to local factory workers who want to eat on the run
15. St Louis, Missouri – the hamburger makes headlines in the New York Times
16. Miami – the first BURGER KING® restaurant opens in 1954