The World's Best Burgers
Burger History and 13 great burgers from around the world
The creation of the modern hamburger happened over a long period of time and required a lot of surprising hand-offs, from Genghis Kahn to Russians to Germans to Americans. Read on to see how your next bite of burger has been a long time coming.
1100 AD: While there were some references to Egyptians eating ground meats, the first and best story cites Gehghis Kahn and his hordes who tucked ground lamb under their saddles to conveniently tenderize the meat for fast filling protein meals. One can imagine that the combination of hrd leather and sweaty horse would have provided a funky and “memorable” flavor profile. 💩
1200 AD: The mongol invasion of Russia transferred the ground meat from the horse saddle to the table. Since Tartar means Mongol in Russian - Steak Tartar was born
1600AD: Saiors ended up bringing the Tartar to Hamburg, Germany - cooked it - and called it “Hamburger”.
1700: Sailors then brought their hamburger to New york where stalls were set up to welcome the sailors.
1855 - 1890 Fairgrounds - Here is mayhem with at least 3 serious claims to home of the burger - Ie: ground beef on bread includes: 1. Charlie Nagreen of Seymour, WI, 2. Frank and Charles Menches mixed ground beef with spices and sold it between bread, naming it “the hamburger” after the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, NY. 3. Oscar Bilby of Tulsa, OK, claims he was the first to add ground meat patties to actual buns in 1891 - but that seems late in the timeline.
1894: Louis Lunch is an XtremeFoodies icon. Did they invent the hamburger? Probably not - but they have decisively popularized the burger with a unique strategy. They are still open a 125 years later. Louis has so many credentials. They invented bizarre vertical grills still used today:
So - as far as we are concerned. Louis Lunch invented the modern day burger and it is is well worth a pilgrimage to Hew Haven Connecticut to eat this burger (and check out the amazing Apizzas while you are at it!
1930’s: Los Angeles then picked up the burger ball and ran with it bringing all kinds of innovations to the party including the 1t McDonalds, invention of the Cheeseburger (The Rite Spot)), and the double cheeseburger at Bob’s Big Boy but let’s fast forward to a tour of the best burgers around the world today.
Xtreme Foodies
Now - here we go - Here are 13 amazing burgers from around the world (with only one crazy ass burger behind a paywall! 😀 ). There are 4 mighty burger cities around the world which are: New York (area), Chicago, LA and London. In each of these cities we have listed one simple burger and one more elaborate burger. There is a legend from middle America and then three other burgers from Asia/Pacific.
Louis Lunch, New Haven Connecticut. Nothing can describe this better than this 19 minute Mark Wiens video The original and best - NO KETCHUP!
Joe Jr. - New York City is a serious burger town. You could argue that the best 10 burgers in the world are all in New York but that would be a boring list. Here is my favorite (not the best) - it’s a old time counter diner with a delicious loppy burger - if you disagree…sue me.
Minetta Tavern Chicago: Ok - After pissing off burger lovers in New York with Joe Jr. - we gotta go with the mythical, upscale burger at Minneta Tavern - everyone goes for the Black Lable burger but we like the Minetta burger even better - ask about the Butter Drizzle!
Paradise Pup Chicago: We could talk about NYC and Brooklyn burgers all night long - (anyone for Emilys?) but it is time to go to Chicago - another burger city. My favorite is a little known gem out by the airport
Au Cheval Chicago:The legend here? Yup - Au Cheval [ big, bold, bacony, cheesy and juicy. This burger is legend. I havnt tried one in a while but this thing kicks ass:
Burgers Never Say Die LA: They may have been invented in Kentucky decades ago but thhey have been perfected here in LA - the secret is to get a ridiculously pl;easant crunch while maintaining a juicy middle. Don’t fall for the triple - always get a double.
Petit Trois LA: The brilliantly named ‘Big Mec” is completely over the top and we love it..this towering burger is drenched in Bordelais sauce but that is a good thing. Not for the faint of heart:
Hamburger Inn Oklahoma invented this burger to reduce the costs of burger meat during the railroad strikes of 1922. Come try the original before heading over to try the Taste Atlas favorite at Tuckers Onion Burgers featured here:
Bleeker Burger London: A minimalist mini-chain which became famous when Xtreme Foodies awarded it the best burger in the world for a version with “Black Pudding” in it. Apparently, the health department shut that down. Well the simple double cheeseburger. Even though you can’t get it anymore, I couldn’t resist posting a version with the Black Pudding:
Lucky Chip London has moved around over the years but it is still a landmark burger. The El Chapo adds jalepenos to a bacon cheeseburger to give this a narcotic kick. In residence at Old Queens Head:
Homeberg Bangkok: This burger should be disqualified because you only get a 1/2 to make way for the rest of the menu - BUT - the rest of the menu is delicious, especially the jerk chicken wings:
Aldeberan Tokyo: This burger is not for everyone - It’s wagyu beef - which is controversial and the burgers are drenched in sauces and cheeses. They are precisely put together and you will likely enjoy the experience. For those on the fence…the spectacular fries will close the deal: Unmissable:
Mary’s Sydney OZ: I havn’t tried this since it turned into a mini-chain but this came out on top of a 30 burger smackdown between Melbourne The World Loves Melbourne and Sydney Simon’s Food Favorites with a super juicy perfect grass fed beef burger
And here is my favorite gourmet burger in the world for my beloved paying subscribers ❤️
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