The Bottom Line: Delicious facts about cheeseburgers.
The Full Story:
- Many Have Claimed to Invent the Hamburger - The cheeseburger’s somewhat-less-amazing-but-still-definitely-amazing predecessor, the hamburger was invented by… Well, it’s not totally clear who invented it, because there are so many who have claimed it. However, The Library of Congress officially declares that Louis Lassen of Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut sold the first hamburger in the U.S. in 1900. You can still go there today and get a burger made in the same oven they’ve been using all these years.
- Louis Ballast of Denver, Colorado filed a trademark for the name 'cheeseburger' in 1936. He never enforced it though. On top of that, a trademark for the name "cheeseburger" was awarded to Ballast a year later.
- It is claimed that cheeseburgers were first served in 1934 at Kaelin's restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky. Thing is? An early example of the cheeseburger appearing on a menu is a 1928 menu for the Los Angeles restaurant O'Dell's, which listed a cheeseburger smothered with chili for 25-cents.
- Kosher cheeseburgers actually exist…at McDonald’s! Which locations? Israel, of course. In an attempt to provide a "kosher cheeseburger" here in the states, a kosher restaurant in New York City created a controversial cheeseburger variation, which replaces cheese with soy cheese.
- The calorie count in a typical cheeseburger can vary from between 500 to 1200 calories.
- People Don’t Just Love Cheeseburgers…Apparently they live on them too. Hamburgers and cheeseburgers are said to comprise about 71% of beef served up in commercial restaurants. This is 60% of all sandwiches sold and 71% of all beef sold in restaurants.
- McDonald’s Burgers Are Never, Ever Juicy - According to Serious Eats, the reason that McDonald’s burgers never rot is because they have extremely low moisture, so any further dehydration just turns it into good old, non-perishable beef jerky.
- The U.S. Government Tried to Rename Burgers - During the First World War, the American government tried rename hamburgers as “Liberty Sandwiches” to promote patriotism and avoid using its original Germanic name.
- There are Tons of Regional Varieties - When you visit other parts of the U.S., you should try their cheeseburgers. New Mexico is known for their green chili cheeseburgers, the Juicy Lucy is Minneapolis, Minnesota’s burger that has molten-hot cheese cooked right inside the meat patty, the pastrami cheeseburger is a popular Utah treat, and San Antonio, Texas has their own amazing creation topped with Cheez Whiz, refried beans, Fritos and onions…just to name a few.
- The Biggest Cheeseburger Ever Made Clocked in at 2,014 Pounds - It was cooked by a Minnesota casino in 2012. It took a special oven, a crane and a special bun that had to be baked for an unbelievable seven-hours. It was given to guests for free, and all was well with the world.