Few foods are as American as the hamburger. Every year, Americans eat billions of them, and they are a staple at backyard barbecues, diners, ballparks, and restaurants around the world. Yet despite being one of the most recognizable foods on the planet, no one seems to agree on where the hamburger actually came from.
Like many great origin stories, the history of the hamburger has become tangled in myth, hometown pride, and competing claims. Over the years, dozens of people and places have been credited with inventing it, but separating fact from folklore isn't easy. That's what prompted award-winning author and historian Chris Carosa to approach the mystery the way a detective would—by following the evidence wherever it led.
Using classic investigative techniques, Chris dug through historical records, newspaper accounts, business documents, and eyewitness reports to piece together the hamburger's true story. His research reveals how the sandwich evolved, why so many people claimed to invent it, and how it eventually became one of America's most beloved foods. Along the way, he uncovers some fascinating misconceptions and surprising twists that have kept this culinary mystery alive for more than a century.
Chris Carosa is an award-winning writer, historian, and author of Hamburger Dreams: How Classic Crime Solving Techniques Helped Crack the Case of America's Greatest Culinary Mystery (https://amzn.to/2Hevorp). In this episode, he explains what the evidence really shows about the hamburger's origins, why the accepted story may be wrong, and how one simple sandwich became an enduring American icon.
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