How was the first American hamburger different from today's?

Louis' Lunch cheese burger. (Source: Wikipedia)

A man living in New York, USA recently shared his experience when trying the place considered to be the place that created the first hamburger in this country.

Raphael Miranda (known as @r.xix__ on TikTok) recently visited the historic Louis' Lunch restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut.

“When I first saw the building, it looked very out of place compared to the other buildings in the area, but it was also very elegant. It looked like a building built in the 1900s,” the 26-year-old told Newsweek.

As Miranda entered the bar area, he was greeted with a simple yet nostalgic menu written in chalk.

The food is simple, hamburgers or cheeseburgers and meat served with potato salad or fries. Dessert is homemade stuffed pies.

However, in the video that has gone viral since it was posted on August 6, Miranda also noted that when he ordered the fries, he thought they were regular potato chips, but then realized the fries served here were bags of Deep River potato chips.

louis lunch_resize.jpg — Louis' Lunch Store. (Source: Wikipedia)

Although the menu is quite small and not very diverse, according to Miranda, the hamburgers really impressed him. Unlike regular burgers, Louis's Lunch serves grilled bread slices with meatballs, reminiscent of the original hamburgers served more than a century ago.

"I really enjoyed the burger and to me, it tasted fresh compared to the processed burgers from fast food chains and of course, the way it was prepared... I just enjoy things like that," Miranda said.

Potato salad and pie—a classic that appears in many of the Little House on the Prairie novels— also surprised him. While he's not a big fan of the classic side dish, he said Louis' Lunch serves the best versions he's ever had.

"I didn't expect them to make amazing pies too; my favorite is the blueberry pie," he added.

In addition to reaching nearly 4 million views, Miranda's video also received thousands of comments from other social media users.

Some people were skeptical about the quality of the New Haven restaurant, but others were convinced after watching the clip.

“Medium rare? That thing can still scream,” one TikTok user commented, referring to the restaurant, which insists on cooking all its hamburgers medium rare.

Many others have cited more evidence of the hamburger's longevity in America, but Miranda firmly believes that Louis' Lunch was the first place to sandwich a patty between two slices of bread to create the first burger sandwich.

With its affordable price and unique preparation, Miranda advised TikTok users to “don’t knock it until you taste it.”

And what about the toast? “I’m pretty sure the burger was made on a bagel. However, after visiting the restaurant, I think I’d rather have it on sliced bread,” he said.

McDonald's has long associated hamburgers with bagels. But at Louis' Lunch, the sandwiches are still the original triangular slices, the same ones that the Earl of Sandwich created 300 years ago after sandwiching a steak between two slices of bread so he could grab a quick bite between games of cards.

But the basic thing that makes a hamburger different from a regular sandwich is that the filling is made from a mixture of shredded meat, called a burger, that has been grilled and sandwiched between two slices of bread.

louis lunch 2_resize.jpg — An old photo of Louis' Lunch circa 1907-1912. (Source: Wikipedia)

The history of the hamburger is still controversial. Many people have presented convincing evidence to prove that their grandparents were the first to invent the hamburger in America. In the case of Louis' Lunch restaurant, the restaurant owners also assert that their ancestors invented the hamburger in 1892 and 1900.

Louis' Lunch's website states: "One day in 1900, a man walked into a small luncheonette and asked for a small meal to go. Louis Lassen quickly put two slices of bread on a piece of beef and handed it to the customer, and thus began the story of America's first hamburger."

And one thing is for sure. "We've come a long way since 1900," one TikTok user commented./.

(Vietnam+)

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