National Burger Day 2022

What is National Burger Day?

The United States is known as a ‘melting pot’ of cultures. Many foods that have travelled from faraway countries and become symbols of U.S. culture and cuisine. One of those foods is the hamburger. Roughly 50 billion hamburgers are served in the United States each year.

National Hamburger Day takes place on Saturday, 28 May 2022. It is a day dedicated to celebrating the hamburger, whether you like yours plain or loaded with gourmet ingredients.

National Burger Day is a celebration of what has become the most popular sandwich in the U.S. – the hamburger.

History of the Hamburger

The hamburger’s roots lead back to 4th-century Europe and minced meat recipes. However, most hamburger-loving historians state that the true history of the burger began in the 1840s when Germans brought high-quality meats from Hamburg to the U.S. The hamburger made its first appearance on a U.S. menu in New York City in 1873.

The true inventor of the modern hamburger is up for debate as Charlie Nagreen from Wisconsin and Frank and Charles Menches from New York claim to be those who served a burger patty on a bun first. However, the hamburger truly captivated Americans when it was featured at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The world’s first fast-food burger chain, White Castle, opened in Kansas in 1916. The rest is history.

How to Celebrate National Burger Day

How you celebrate National Hamburger Day is up to you, but we suggest dining on your favourite version of the burger, whether at home or at your favourite burger joint. Burgers aren’t just for carnivores, so vegetarians are invited to celebrate with their favourite plant-based hamburgers.

Famous Burgers of America

The hamburger has been an American staple for decades, so it comes as no surprise that some variations of the burger have become famous. The following are iconic burgers you may want to try while celebrating National Burger Day this May.

• The Whopper – This legendary hamburger from Burger King has been a menu item since 1957. It features a quarter-pound patty and all of the toppings, including tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, and more
• The Juicy Lucy – Released in 1954, the Juicy Lucy is a classic cheeseburger with a major twist. This mouth watering burger features cheese that is melted inside the patty. The original Juicy Lucy can be eaten at Matt’s Bar & Grill in Minneapolis
• The Classic McDonald’s Burger – McDonald’s transformed the fast food industry and how people around the world consume hamburgers. Many will claim nothing tops the classic original McDonald’s hamburger with its 100-percent beef patty, pickles, minced onions, melted cheese, ketchup, and mustard
• Cheeseburger in Paradise – Made popular by Jimmy Buffett’s famous tune, the Cheeseburger in Paradise is ordered with American cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, a dill pickle, and Heinz 57 sauce

Interesting Hamburger Facts

• Fifty billion hamburgers are eaten each year in the U.S. alone
• The average American eats three hamburgers per week
• The average citizen in the U.S. consumes roughly 30 pounds of hamburgers per year
• The world’s largest hamburger weighed 2,014 pounds and was prepared in 2012 at Black Bear Casino Resort in Minnesota
• White Castle (not McDonald’s) was the first restaurant chain to serve the hamburger