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Genghis Khan and the hamburger |
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Friday, 06 January 2006 |
Ask Yahoo! states
The fast food favorite took a long, slow trip from Genghis Khan through
Russia and Germany before arriving at McDonald's. Many cultures have
created ground meat patties as quick, portable meals. But it wasn't
until the early 20th century that the "hamburger steak" was put on
bread and called a burger. The name comes from Hamburg, Germany,
although the food isn't a local specialty. In the 1200s, Genghis Khan's
Mongol armies ate patties of raw lamb scraps, which were tenderized
under the soldiers' saddles. When the Mongols invaded Russia, these
snacks caught on and became known as steak tartare because Russians
called the Mongols "Tartars." In the 1600s, Russia began trading with
the German port of Hamburg, and steak tartare came along for the ride.
Germans cooked up the steak dish with shredded beef and local spices.
This "Hamburg steak" could also be salted and smoked so it would keep
during long travels. German sailors and immigrants brought it with them
to the U.S. during the 1800s. "Hamburger steak" showed up on the menu
of New York's Delmonico's restaurant in the 1820s or 1830s. Soon, more
places offered the dish, and cookbooks gave instructions for making it
at home.
In the early 1900s, several American restaurants started putting a
hamburger steak between two slices of bread or inside a bun. While the
claims for "home of the burger" are disputed, no one can deny that the
Mongol snack with a German name fast became an American institution.
Text taken from: MongolianArtist.com
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