The story
The hamburger has more claimed birthplaces than almost any dish, and New Haven, Connecticut, holds the one recognised by the Library of Congress. Louis Lassen, a Danish immigrant, sold lunches from a wagon there from 1895. The family story says that in 1900 a businessman in a hurry asked for a meal to go, so Lassen grilled a patty of ground steak trimmings and served it between two slices of toast. Louis' Lunch still serves it on toast. Seymour, Wisconsin and Hamburg, New York date their claims to 1885, and Tulsa and Athens, Texas have their own. The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair made the sandwich famous.
Rival claims
Many rival claims: Seymour, Wisconsin (Charlie Nagreen, 1885), Hamburg, New York (Menches brothers, 1885), Athens, Texas (Fletcher Davis, 1880s) and Tulsa, Oklahoma (Bilby family, 1891). Louis' Lunch in New Haven is the claim recognised by the Library of Congress.
Also known as burger, hamburger sandwich.
On the Meridish menu
Hamburger was the main course on menu No. 15 on October 15, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
In 1900 a lunch-wagon cook pressed steak trimmings between toast for a customer in a hurry. His shop in this college town still serves it on toast; several other towns claim it too.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis%27_Lunch
- fox61.com/article/news/local/outreach/awareness-months/library-of-congress-recognizes-louis-lunch-as-the-birthplace-of-the-hamburger/520-781cd2dd-4f9a-4553-a90b-afebea32f34c
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
