Hamburg, NY : Birthplace Of The Hamburger
THE BIRTH OF THE
HAMBURGER
In 1885 vendors from Ohio, Frank and Charles Menches,
established a food
concession at what was to be later named the Erie
County Fair. Their specialty was a
sliced, grilled sausage patty
served on a round bun. Running out of their sausage, they
sought a
local butcher who only had ground beef readily available. They mixed
spices
with the meat, including brown sugar and coffee, and made
patties to fit the round buns.
The coffee after-taste kept patrons
returning for more of this new sandwich. A local
reporter, noting
the excitement, asked the brothers what this new sensation was called.
Without
much hesitation, they named it the hamburger after the town they were
in,
Hamburg, NY.
Although someone prior to that time may
have squashed a meatball to have it cook
faster, no one ever called
it a hamburger before. The Menches brothers added the name,
“Hamburgers,”
to their awning and introduced the new grilled ground beef on a round
bun
to fairs throughout the Northeast.
Once that newspaper article
was discovered 100 years later, the Hamburg Chamber
of Commerce held
the first Burgerfest in 1985. Ancestors of the Menches brothers, who
remain
in the food industries three generations later, have traveled to
Hamburg to
participate in several Burgerfest celebrations over the
years. Burgerfest activities include
a Taste of Hamburg festival, a
classic car show, a film festival, a Rock Band Video
competition, an
art show, the ever popular Bed Race, children’s activities and live
entertainment
though out the day and night.
The Burgerfest will be held
on Main and Buffalo Streets in the Village of
Hamburg, July 17,
2010, run by the two Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions Clubs of Hamburg.
The
Food Channel and others may cover us this year.