Hamburger History
Chopped or minced beef is certainly not a new innovation. It's been used in savoury meat pies dating back to ancient times. Beef tartare (for which there is no such thing as an original recipe) consisting of finely chopped raw steak or high-quality beef (from which few if anyone ever died or got sick), mixed with various herbs and spices, dates back to the Mongols(whose fore-fathers were also the fore-fathers of the North American Indian ) and Russian medieval times.
The Tartars were known to shred their meat and ate it raw. These days the raw experience is enhanced by the addition of a raw egg placed in an indentation on top of the mound of seasoned raw beef.
Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khan -1167-1227) and his army of fierce Mongol horseman conquered two thirds of then known world. The Mongols were a fast moving, cavalry- based army. They stayed in their saddles for long periods of time, sometimes days without ever dismounting. They had little opportunity to stop and build a fire for their meal. The entire village would follow behind the army in carts they called "yurts", leading huge herds of, sheep, goats, oxen, and horses. As the army needed food that could be carried on their mounts and eaten easily with one hand while they rode, ground meat was the perfect choice. They would use "scrapings" of lamb, or mutton, which was formed into patties. The meats were then placed under the saddles of their horses while riding into battle. When it was time to eat, the meat would be eaten raw, having been tenderized by the saddle and back of the horse. Bread of course, being readily available was a very convenient way of keeping the whole mess together until that time.
1238- When Kengis Khans's grand son Khublus Khan invaded Moscow, they naturally brought their unique meat with them. The Russians adopted it into their own cuisine with the name "Steak Tartare" (tartars being their name for the Mongols).
1600s- Ships from the German port of Hamburg began calling on the Russian port. During this period the Russian steak tartare was brought back to Germany.
Take the idea of tartare to the fire, and voila Hamburgers. So, arguably, hamburgers are a Russian invention. Could it be that hamburgers are a hideous, insidious, and far more deadly terrorist weapon of mass construction than the weapons of mass destruction .George W.(Wanna be [Push]) Bush has spent two years killing thousands of people, including Americans, in the name of “freedom?”, searching for in Iraq. The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein for allegedly ordering the death of 148 insurgents against his legitimate government.
Oh, Bush has succeeded to some extent for many of these people are now free-- free of their country, their homes, their health, their wealth, and especially, their lives. A little over a half century ago, there was another very popular and charismatic politician--an Austrian-- who had similar goals and exactly the same philosophy as Bush, "if you’re not with us you’re against us". In order to succeed, maybe all Bush needed to do was check out McDonalds restaurants, or his own Texas ranch. Maybe we should inform Bush and American intelligence.
Although the term hamburger is derived from the city in Germany, the original hamburger was a piece of meat which was pounded until tender, not chopped or ground. Like cutlets and Weiner Schnitzel it was often breaded or eaten sandwiched between two pieces of bread.
