Burger...or Hamburger???

On the way back to home, one of the friends was telling me, "Gaurav, now I am craving for a burger..". I instantly replied, "Let's go to Mcdonalds", but ultimately we landed upto burger king. My friend had a beefburger, as far as I can recollect, & I had chicken burger, since I am on restricted diet. What is the origin of this burger, for which people are craving???
Simply put, burger is another type of Sandwich. It has got all the qualities of a Sandwich, yet, we dont call it a Sandwich in the menu. It has got a bread [the burger bun], spread [will vary according to S.O.P.], filling [meat, chicken & a lot of stuff] & garnish [again, it is dependent on S.O.P.].

Well, now its origins. I remember in my college days, my senior used to ask me, "Gaurav, do you know the origin of burger??", as usual, it was my ignorance to know initially, so I would say no. He told "The name comes from the place Hamburg, in Germany, but why hamburger, does it have ham in it??". You must be knowing that Ham refers to cured/salted pork leg, though traditionally, any animal's leg has been referred to as Ham for times immemorial. I didn't know which meat is used for Hamburger, since I was accustomed to Chicken Burger, which I used to make it at home, since I was in grade 7 [few burnt marks are still there]. He told me, beef/tenderloin is used for making the burger.
I was going through a german cuisine book, which I bought for myself last year & casually I was browsing through a couple of days before. However, an interesting information I got, which is worth sharing. Hamburger, actually is a type of meatball, which is in the form of a steak [which we call the burger patty now]. A traditional recipe uses ground beef & egg yolk for the *hamburger* steak & cooked as per doneness. However, there were no rolls/buns to be served. But how did the concept of putting this "steak" come into effect?The author records, it all started in Ohio, USA. The seller of snacks was running short of sausages for the hot dogs, so he served the burger steaks in between milk rolls, which is now popular as the "Hamburger", whilst the traditional ground beef & egg yolk is a mere history.
When I am in Calcutta or in India, I always prefer the "Maharaja Mac" -a double burger with cheese in Mcdonalds. It comes in a generous price of $1.50, which is quite affordable & filling too. In India, the burgers are not made with Beef, for obvious reasons--as Hindus don't eat beef & cow is revered by Hindus[there are exceptions to it. I am a hindu too, but I used to enjoy steak with beer, till I was told not to consume!!!]. So burgers are mostly made of chicken, aloo tikki [potato patty for burgers] are also there.
Now there are so many burgers originated--Cheeseburger, Zingerburger[ I love this too...in KFC] & a loads of stuff!!!
I remember, when I was in Mumbai, one night, before going to the shift, I was craving for burger. However, the outlet was too far [in other way round, I was too lazy to go that far] & they dont do any home delivery. I went to my hotel & once I entered the kitchen, I started making one for myself. But nothing beats Mcdonalds. Hats off to them!!!!
Anyways, now I am hungry & if I write more..I will start craving for a burger. A small recipe for you...

Perfect Burger!
Ingredients:
For the patty
Ground tenderloin- 150 gm
Seasoning- to taste
Chopped Onion- 20 gm
Chopped Garlic- of 1 clove
Egg Yolk- 2 no
W. Sauce- 2 tsp
H.P. Sauce- 2 tsp
For the garnish
Iceberg Lettuce- few leaves
Onion- 2 slices
Tomato- 2 slices
Sliced Cheese- 2 of cheddar[optional]
For the spread
Mayonnaise- as required
Burger bun-1 [kaiser rolls or wutever!!]
Method:
1)Mix all the ingredients for the patty & keep them cold, until ready to cook. Form into neat round patty & cook them in a hot plate, as per desired doneness[ Note:Ground meat is partially cooked, when its passed through the mincer. The mechanical heat helps to break the collagen of meat. So the meat will cook faster than a steak of same weight]
2)Half the burger bun horizontally & toast them . Apply mayonnaise on both the halves. On the base, put the lettuce followed by tomato. You may put the onion as it is, or may cook them in a hot plate, till it starts to melt & put them on top of tomato.
3)Put the cooked patty on top of the onion. If you are using cheese, put the cheese on top of the patty & allow to melt under salamander & once melted put them on top of the onion immediately.
4)Eat it, as soon as possible!!!

By the way, never put a cucumber in a hot sandwich/burger. Cucumber is meant for cold sandwiches--not for hot stuff!
Enjoy....