Burger tops 100 years

Legend has it they were invented so people could eat steaks while they walked.

Now hamburgers, the pride of America and the bane of dieters, are celebrating their 100th anniversary.

The centennial is being marked by a frenzy of festivities in the US, with a
host of new burgers hitting the fast-food counters.

One newcomer — the Premium Ethyl — weighs in at a monstrous 4lb.

It contains 2lb of beef, 1lb of toppings and 1lb of bread — enough to satisfy the most voracious American appetite.

The origins of the burger are steeped in controversy. What is known is that steak tartare originated in Russia as early as the 14th Century and was exported by sailors to Hamburg.

The town’s chefs discovered the joys of cooking it with onions before the recipe travelled to America. But there are several stories about how the hamburger we know today was created.

The established legend among food historians is that Fletcher Davis invented it in 1904 at the St Louis Fair — hence the centennial.

He is said to have served minced beef patties between two slices of bread, spread with mayonnaise and topped with slices of onion and cucumber pickles.

But a Wisconsin folk tale claims 15-year-old Charlie Nagreen invented the burger in 1885 while selling steaks at the Outgamie County Fair.

He apparently put the steaks between two pieces of bread so visitors could walk around with them.