Despite its history full of lies, it is the most ordered and admired food in the world. Who invented it, how did it enter our lives, where to eat the best hamburger? Are you ready to enter the controversial, calorie-filled and titillating world of hamburgers?
According to a rumor, in 1900, a customer entered Louis’s Lunch in Connecticut and asked if there was anything he could eat on the way, and the owner of the restaurant, Louis Lassen, gave him a sandwich consisting of steak pieces placed on toast, and the fate of the world suddenly changed. It is not known how much this story convinced you, but when you do some research for the first hamburger reference, this will be the first story you come across.
Indeed, it is not limited to this. When you dig a little deeper, it is possible to find references to hamburgers in newspapers published in the late 1800s. These findings refute the legend of Louis’s Lunch, but when looking at the history of the hamburger, it is useful to be prepared for such things. Because you will be faced with many claims that refute each other. For example, many people in Wisconsin think that the hamburger was invented by Charlie Nagreen in 1885. In Texas, Fletcher Davis is credited with giving the hamburger its name. If we look at Europe, in the mid-1700s, Hannah Glasse’s book The Art of Cooking Made Simple and Easy mentions a Hamburg sausage served on toast. The “meatballs on bread” formula called Rundstück Warm, which was famous in Germany in the 1870s, actually points to a similar story.
We know that the formula most similar to the hamburger we know today emerged in America in the 1870s. The simple formula consisting of hand-chopped beef mince, onion and bread was on menus as a cheap and satisfying option that was not given much thought at the time. As can be seen from the book Hamburger: A Global History written by Andrew F. Smith in 2008, the story, whose origins were not clear, became more complicated over time and spread to America from many branches.
Nowadays, hamburgers even have a day celebrated on May 28 every year. How could it not be?! Wherever you go in the world, it is possible to find it, its namesake, or its substitute. The best ones are listed on YouTube every day, consumed by the trays, turning into food porn. The good is good, the bad is terrible. So, is there a formula for hamburger?
Of course, there is. First of all, the taste of the meat is the most important. While mostly beef is used in America, in Turkey it is prepared from a mixed veal-lamb minced meat. The important thing, of course, is which parts of the animal you use. The fat content of ground meat is definitely one of the critical points. Although chefs’ personal preferences come into play here, 15 percent fat rate is generally accepted.
Hamburger meat is not wanted to be seasoned with spices. Therefore, it is better not to go beyond salt and pepper. Cooking degree is of course another important point. It is best not to go beyond medium rare. Even though overcooked meat is preferred in Turkey, the best of the meat lies in its pinkness. Burger gourmets agree that it should be cooked on high heat. A good hamburger should retain all its juices and remain juicy, and of course the meat should not be crushed.
Discussions of whether to fry the bread or not, whether to serve it with sauce or not, with or without tomatoes, with or without onion are all matters that are entirely up to the discretion of the consumer. Because these are not very important. In fact, it must be admitted that Vedat Milor started long before the menemen (a dish made with vegetable and eggs) debate. Although there are some rules about what a good burger should be like, it is generally shaped according to the chef’s tastes. So, in such an open-ended situation, how do we choose the best hamburger in the world? It is undoubtedly a somewhat complicated issue and considering that it has spread all over the world, the options are increasing. That’s why in this article, we narrowed down our criteria through ratings and comments and tracked down the best of 2023.
Pizza Loves Emily
New York
It is surprising that there is a place that does not actually claim to be a hamburger among the world’s most popular hamburgers, but if we take as a reference the opinions of the Burger Dudes team, who questioned this experience in 60 countries and 433 cities around the world, Pizza Loves Emily is making one of the most delicious hamburgers in the world as of 2023. There is only one type of burger on the menu and they never make personalized changes to the ingredients. Moreover, they produce it in limited quantities and when it runs out, it cannot be remade. Emmy Burger is prepared with pretzel bread from a local bakery called Tom Cat. The meat in it is obtained from beef matured for 30 days by another local brand, La Frieda butcher. 12-month Grafton cheddar is another attraction. It offers a real explosion of flavor with caramelized onions, pickled gherkins and Emily’s special sauce. Coming to New York and leaving without trying Emmy’s Burger will lead to great regret, rest assured.
Gasoline Grill
Copenhagen
This is a place whose reputation goes beyond Denmark and even Europe. Gasoline Grill, which is an old gas station as its name suggests, should not be intimidated by the long queue at its door. The queue moves quickly and the place welcomes you with a taste that is definitely worth the wait. The taste of the burgers of this place is hidden in their care. Meat is prepared by hand chopping every day, early in the morning. The burgers, served with slightly spicy Gasoline sauce, are mouth-watering with their juicy taste. Their soft breads have a separate fan base. There are very few places to sit here, but when you see that most of the people who come are hanging around, you understand that this is the way of this place. They always have traffic thanks to their reasonable prices, but they never send their guests away empty-handed or hungry. It is worth mentioning that the restaurant is very sensitive about waste and the materials used are completely organic. Their specialty is Butterburger with lots of butter. By the way, there is also a vegetarian version of every burger.
Burger and Beyond
London
Burger and Beyond serves at four locations in London, but their reputation for burgers stems from the facilities they established in Essex rather than their locations. The meat aged here is perhaps the most important secret of the restaurant. The hamburger meats prepared by drying for 30 days are delicious, but the sauces they use to flavor them deserve a separate title. Their bread is very close to brioche bread. Every detail is appreciated individually. It is quite difficult to choose between Bougie stuffed with marrow, cheeseburgers prepared with special cheese or Bacon Butter Burger prepared with crispy Pancetta bacon. It is almost impossible to find vegetables on the menu. Therefore, we cannot say that it is a restaurant suitable for vegetarians and vegans. But it is definitely a paradise for meat lovers.
Burgermeister
Berlin
Are you ready for one of the best burgers in Europe? It is annoying information that the first location opened right under the U1 rails, one of Berlin’s most used subway lines, was formerly used as a public toilet, but its current state is famous for its smells that will seduce many people. This place looks more like a grab-and-go stand than a restaurant because it has very little seating. Since it is already under the rails, it cannot be said to be very attractive for sitting for a long time. However, it should be said that there are nine more branches apart from this original location. As for why Burgermeister is so popular… The almost insane determination of its founder, Cebrail Karabelli, who transformed this place from a toilet into a world-famous burger joint, which no one could understand at first, also applies in the kitchen. We are not exaggerating when we say that burgers are made here from A to Z. Because while the breads are prepared in the bakery section, the meats are also cooked here, and the cheese sauces are prepared by the Burgermeister chefs. In fact, most of the time they keep their formulas a secret. Especially the Meister Aller Klassen prepared with bacon and jalapeno and the potatoes with cheese sauce are addictive. Let us also remind you that there are vegetarian options.
Where to eat the best hamburger in Turkey?
Akali
The first Akali on the Akaretler hill has been among the best hamburger restaurants for a long time. Although it has continued its rivalry with Zula over the years, we think that both of them are now among the best hamburger restaurants in Istanbul. Today, Akali has nearly 10 branches in Istanbul, Marmaris and Bodrum. You need to decide how hungry you are before your experience here. Because first you will decide the size of your hamburger. They can prepare hamburgers suitable for every hunger level with 80, 160, 240 gram options. Bread is the same, meatball layers increase depending on the weight, just for your information. Their bread, which they moisten with the juice of the meatballs prepared from beef, is also very good. If you want, you can enrich your burger with sauces such as avocado sauce, truffle salsa, hot sauce, pineapple holica, eggplant romoulade. Apart from this, if you wish, there are also extras such as fried eggs, extra cheese and caramelized onions. We recommend you to try their own buttermilk along with their juicy, delicious burgers.
