“A Hamburger is warm and fragrant and juicy. A hamburger is soft and non-threatening. It personifies the Great Mother Herself, who has nourished us from the beginning. A hamburger is an icon of layered circles, the circle being at once the most spiritual and the most sensual of shapes. A hamburger is companionable and faintly erotic: the nipple of the Goddess, the bountiful belly-ball of Eve.” — Tom Robbins from “The Genius Waitress” in Esquire, 1983.
From our friend Craig “Meathead” Goldwyn and from his great website AmazingRibs.com. If you put “Craig” in the search box you can find his other posts.
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Burgers of other countries
Love of American culture has brought the hamburger to many countries where the growing demand was met by the expansion overseas of McDonalds and Burger King. Some nations have their own peculiar twist on the concept.
In Ireland Spice Burgers are the rage, a patented recipe with ground beef, onions, grains, spices, and coated with bread crumbs. Made by Walsh Family Foods since the 1950s, they are found a “chippers”, restaurant specializing in fried fish and chips (potatoes). It is usually deep fried, but the Walsh site says “this product has universal applications including breakfast, with baked beans and potato, as a quick microwave TV snack or served from the bar-b-que”. The picture above is from the Walsh website.
In Australia a typical burger will have pickled beetroot (yuuuuuck), sunnyside up egg, sliced pineapple, and a chile paste such as sambal oelek or sriracha. I am told that the challenge is to keep the beet juice off your shirt.
In Korea, don’t be surprised to find kimchi, a form of pickled cabbage, on your burger. Hey, just think of it as a type of kraut or slaw.
In the Dominican Republic, you can get Chimichurris, a.k.a. Chimi Burgers, from pushcarts and hole-in-the-wall joints everywhere. Each stand takes liberties with the recipe: Some use a green herb sauce similar to Argentine chimichurri sauce, while others mix in chopped onion, red bell pepper, garlic, oregano, and cilantro with the ground meat. They are served with a warm coleslaw on top, and a sauce made with ketchup, mayo, and mustard, similar to my Burger Glop recipe. Chimi Burgers have traveled with Dominican expats to their new homes in New York and elsewhere.
In India, burgers are served on the flat traditional local Naan bread.