The Origins of Hamburgers - From Genghis Khan to the United States

People have been eating ground meat in the shape of patties since the ancient Egyptian times.

But the burger got its start with Genghis Khan and his Mongol army. Their long journeys made it difficult to stop and cook - so they kept the patties under their saddles, allowing the constant movement to tenderize the meat.

When Genghis Khan and his army invaded Russia, they brought their meat patties with them. Russia later adopts this into their cuisine, adding raw eggs and chopped onions.

Ground beef was popular in Europe, but was used mainly to make sausages. But in the seventeenth century ships from Hamburg Germany visited Russian ports, and brought the recipe back to their country.

Later, at the end of the eighteenth century, the largest sea ports in Europe were in Germany. Many sailors who frequented these areas brought the patties back home with them and named them the "Hamburg Steak." To attract German sailors,  food stands were built along the ports in New York selling the meal.

And there you have it - a brief history of the hamburger.