Reading: The Hamburger
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The History of the Hamburger
Who invented the hamburger? Many people throughout the world claim that it was their invention. Here are some theories: Some people believe that it was invented in Hamburg, Germany. In the early 19th Century, German immigrants arrived in America and they brought with them their own style of cooking. They cooked their beef-steaks in a very similar way the Americans cook hamburgers today. However some maintain that American, Charlie Nagreed created the hamburger in 1885 at the age of 15. Also, Frank Menches's family, claim that he invented the hamburger by substituting beef for pork in his famous sausages on one day when the heat and humidity forced butchers to stop slaughtering pigs.
The popularity of the hamburger began to rise just before World War II. With names like Whopper, Big Mac and Flame grilled steak burger; hamburgers became a speciality in most American restaurants.
The wide-open spaces in America and its growing automobile culture helped make the hamburger a great success. The first chain-restaurant was opened in Wichita by Walter Anderson and Billy Ingram in 1921. However, it was the McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, who opened the doors to fast-food. The first McDonald's opened in 1948. Soon there were more than 100 restaurants all serving exactly the same burger. Nowadays, the hamburger is not only loved by Americans but also by people all over the world. Americans alone consume almost 11 billion burgers a year.
The hamburger is liked so much because of its simplicity and convenience; it can be bought and eaten anywhere, it can be accompanied with anything: cheese, tomato, ketchup, lettuce, onions, mayonnaise, etc. Today McDonald's hamburger is the most popular in America. And while we may never find out exactly who really discovered the hamburger, one thing is clear. Burgers have existed in America for over a century and they show no signs of going away!