Fire Up The Grill It’s National Burger Day!

May 28th is National Hamburger Day if ever there was a food that crossed regional boundaries, bridged the age gap, knows no gender bias, and is the pinnacle of comfort food it is the humble hamburger.

Join us as we investigate the history, “proper” build, media presence and cultural impact of this tasty treat.

 Is the Hamburger Germany’s Best Export?

Despite the hamburger becoming a staple of Americana through franchises like White Castle, Big Boy and McDonald's it actually traces its origins back to the Hamburg Germany. The connection is not a spurious connection via naming but rather that a 1758 recipe was uncovered for a dish called “Hamburgh sausage” which was roasted meat on a slice of toasted bread.

Another popular snack in the region is the “Hamburgh steak” (also known as a Frikadeller) which is a steak mince patty. The patty was cooked on a hot plate and pressed flat much like a modern smash burger.

Hamburgh steak sandwiches were served as a travel meal on the Hamburg Airline which began operating in 1847.

 Who Is America’s King of the Burgers?

The burger is such as iconic good that many in the USA have put forward their claim to its fame, here are the top 5 contenders:

1. Charlie Nagreen – believed to have sold meatball sandwiches at the Outagamie County Fair in 1885
2. Frank and Charles Mench – they claim to have sold beef patty sandwiches at the Erie County Fair in 1885
3. Otto Kuase – believed by White Castle to have created a butter-basted egg burger in 1891
4. Oscar Weber Bilby – his family claim he made hamburgers using a yeast bun in 1891
5. Louis Lassen – believed to have sold steak and hamburger mince sandwiches from her lunch wagon in New Haven in 1900

While there are many claiming the crown of King of the Burgers the problem in choosing one of them lies in the lack of recorded evidence. What is clear however is that they all draw their origin from the European practice of putting a fried or basted meatball between two slices of bread.

 Fast-Food Empires That Burgers Built

Regardless of who started the burger craze the real winners are the fast-food empires which have risen to international fame and financial success solely by selling these tasty treats to avid fans.

Top 8 hamburger joins you can visit to celebrate National Burger Day:

1. White Castle – opened to the public in 1921 and famous for its 2.5-inch slider burgers with square patties
2. Big Boy – launched in 1936 and famous for its Double Deck Hamburger
3. McDonald’s – opened in 1940 promising the fastest order-to-eating hamburgers anywhere thanks to their Speedee Service System
4. In-N-Out Burger – California’s first drive-through burger joint opened its doors in 1948
5. Whataburger – this burger joint has had patrons exclaiming “What a burger!” since 1950
6. Burger King – this royal eatery was opened to the public in 1953 as Insta-Burger and rebranded to Burger King in 1954
7. Five Guys – opened its doors in 1986 and became famous for generous portions and build-your-own-burger menu options
8. Shake Shack – started as a hotdog stand in 2001 and grew into a popular burger restaurant by 2004

These burger restaurants also serve a variety of French fries, hand-cut fries, vegetarian-friendly menu options, and of course rich and creamy milkshakes.

 Unusual Local Variations

While the hamburger we know and love comes generally follows the tried true formula of a grilled meat patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, condiments such as tomato sauce and mustard, all served on a bun, there are however some interesting variations to found as you travel the world.

• Japan – in addition to buying hamburgers layered with such toppings as grated wasabi and avocado the most unusual departure from the norm is the use of a rice bun instead of bread. You can also buy black burgers from McDonald’s and Burger King which gives the burger a cray but cool appearance.
• Belgium – connoisseurs of the unusual can order a Bicky Burger which is a standard patty on a bun, however, the patty is made up of a combination of pork, chicken, and horse meat.
• China – for those looking to take their meals on the trot while in China be sure to look out for a speciality burger served on a flatbread with cilantro, green pepper and a donkey meat patty.

Be sure to search for your local area for fun and unusual burger options. There is no better day to try out new and interesting variations of your favourite food than today.

 Burgers Are Pop Culture Favourites

Hamburgers have not only endeared themselves to our taste buds, but they have so captured the imaginations of creative minds that they appear throughout popular culture.

The 1929 comic strip Popeye had a recurring character named Wimpy who was obsessed with hamburgers. His most quoted line is “I'll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a hamburger today".

This idea of a ravenous burger addict was continued in the 1939 Archie comics series where the main characters best friend, Jughead Jones, is seen to consume plate after plate of burgers throughout the publications run.

The 1994 film Pulp Fiction is arguably one of Quentin Tarantino’s seminal works and while dealing with mobsters, drug overdoses and murder he dedicates two scenes to hamburgers. The first is the now-classic scene where John Travolta asks Samuel L. Jackson if he knows what they call a “Quarter Pounder with cheese” in Paris, “a Royale with Cheese” he says.  The second is a lengthy diatribe on the tasty goodness of a fictional Hawaiian burger chain, Big Kahuna Burger

In the over the top 2004 stoner film, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, you get to spend 88 minutes following Kal Penn and John Cho around as they try to make their way to White Castle to slate their munchies of a table full of sliders.

 Hamburger Inspired Slots

Hamburgers have not only influenced pop culture but also the online casino industry with a number of developers launching slots featuring burgers on the reels. Here are 3 video slots you can enjoy this National Burger Day:

✓Bars and Stripes slot

Bars and Stripes online slot by Microgaming celebrates all things American and naturally, this includes a healthy dose of apple pie, American football and hamburgers. The slot itself offers medium variance gameplay across 5-reels with 25 fixed paylines.

Best of all while celebrating your national pride and love of fast food you could be rewarded with up to 50,000x your coin size on any lucky spin.

✓Diner of Fortune slot

Spinomenal invites you into their Diner of Fortune where the reels are filled to overflowing with double-deck cheeseburgers, stacks of pancakes and doughnuts. The slot is a medium volatility game offering balanced spin to win ratios with a generous RTP of 97.2%.

Enjoy this 5-reel 15 ways to win slot and you could soon find yourself sinking your teeth into wins of up to €15,000 from any lucky spin.

✓Burger Man slot

Burger Man slot is a quirky and humorous spoof on the fast-food industry by Slot Factory. Every part of this slot is based on fast food from the Line and Bet selection buttons to the burger-shaped Spin button. All symbols are food-based as well with even the A, K, Q, J, 10 and 9 being made from strings of sausages, bacon and fried eggs.

Burgers act as Scatters and help you trigger the special Burger Man Trail feature where you stand to win up to 2000x your bet from any lucky spin.

We hope that you have a tasty National Burger Day! Feel free to join the GamblersPick community to rate these games and share your experiences.