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Texas, Connecticut Battle Over Birthplace of Burger

Posted Wed, Jan 17, 2007, 9:32 am PST
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Don't mess with Texas.

A state legislator there is embroiled in a burger battle with Louis' Lunch of New Haven, Connecticut, over which state can claim to be the birthplace of the hamburger.

Louis' Lunch, which opened in 1895, claims to have come up with the marvelous idea in 1900, when a hurried customer requested something he could eat on the run. Republican state representative Betty Brown, however, has proposed a resolution in the Texas legislature declaring Athens, Texas, as rightful birthing ground, noting that Fletcher Davis sold burgers from a luncheonette there in the late 1800s.

Things have gotten heated. Says New Haven mayor John DeStefano Jr.:

"It's a well-known and established fact that New Haven is the home of the hamburger. In fact, New Haven's claim to the hamburger is even supported and documented in the Library of Congress."

In our own research (admittedly web-based), we found yet another city calling itself the home of the burger: Seymour, Wisconsin. There, in 1895, it's said that "Hamburger" Charlie Nagreen started selling the mighty meaty sandwich. (Here's AHT's History of the Hamburger post.)

This is a debate that will never be resolved, we think, only because there seems to be scant hard evidence as to who and when invented the burger as we know it.

Texas lawmaker challenges burger history [Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader]

 

LOUIS' LUNCH
Address: 263 Crown Street, New Haven CT 06511 [Yahoo! Local]
Phone: 203-562-5507
Website: louislunch.com

FURTHER READING
A Hamburger Today's Connecticut Archives
A Hamburger Today's Texas Archives

Photograph from the Flickr photostream of the real janelle

  • 1. Posted by Aggie on Fri, Jan 19, 2007, 8:46 am PST

    Well.... whether or not New Haven wants to claim to be the birthplace of Hamburgers is irrelevant. Hamburgers are only made correctly in TEXAS and are BIGGER IN TEXAS which is what really matters.

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  • 2. Posted by pooh on Mon, Jan 22, 2007, 12:40 pm PST

    texas, all the beef was in texas not connecticut

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  • 3. Posted by on Tue, Jan 23, 2007, 12:52 pm PST

    Who really cares about where it started? Please tell me the best places I can find a burger today.

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  • 4. Posted by on Mon, Jan 29, 2007, 8:54 am PST

    hamburger orgins from Asia, invented by tatars, asian nomad tribe. This competition is silly.

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  • 5. Posted by mark h on Thu, Feb 01, 2007, 6:43 pm PST

    The backyard burger @ Hoover's Cooking Austin, Tx 78723

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  • 6. Posted by BP69 on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 11:53 am PST

    The hamburger started inNew Haven, Ct. Texas is only trying to get creidt for something they think they started.

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  • 7. Posted by Ivor on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 12:06 pm PST

    Texas OWNS burgers, you can't get a REAL burger if your not in Texas

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  • 8. Posted by brontehev on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 12:14 pm PST

    Actually, hamburgers were invented in Hamburg, Germany. Hence the name. They were originally served with fried eggs on top.

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  • 9. Posted by Balante on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 12:41 pm PST

    clearly none of you have had a burger at louis' lunch. not only is it the inventor but they also make the best burgers anywhere in the country. not everything is better in texas.

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  • 10. Posted by Tim on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 12:42 pm PST

    Next the United States will be trying to say it invented the Pizza....the Romans invented the hamber 2000 years ago!!!!!

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  • 11. Posted by Danial T on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 1:11 pm PST

    my grandfather used to tell us that they used to grind up deer ank elk that hey couldn't make into steak and cook it and eat it sandwich style. he learned it fom his GRANDMOTHER. my grandfather was born in 1904. in OREGON

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  • 12. Posted by rckeeper5 on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 1:22 pm PST

    Burgers with Fried Eggs on top are delicious. Red Robin still sells these.

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  • 13. Posted by on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 1:25 pm PST

    wow, i'm really sorry some of you are from texas.

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  • 14. Posted by jimthekid27 on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 1:30 pm PST

    Texans are full of themselves, and probably eat the most burgers... Houston is known to be one of the top Obese Cities. All I can say is Texas Beef is not as good as it is cracked up to be... (Give me Iowa Beef any day, it is all about corn fead cows)

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  • 15. Posted by zoningoutin54321 on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 1:40 pm PST

    This is like arguing over who invented the salad. Honestly. I'm pretty sure people from different regions can come up with the same "authentic" idea. A hamburger is just a beefed up sandwich (lookie there, a pun.). Who cares? And it depends on where you go that makes the burger good- I'm speaking as a true Texan. There's no gerneralities for food.

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  • 16. Posted by RANDY AND DONNA S on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 1:53 pm PST

    I would think texas invented the burger but, why not say connectiut. I thought I invented the 1st bacon cheese burger years ago.

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  • 17. Posted by who c on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 1:54 pm PST

    looks like another case of "where's the beef" to me

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  • 18. Posted by Gracie on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 1:59 pm PST

    Let's just say we ALL have a claim-to-fame for the beloved burger. Every state has it's own style. Texas has their famous BBQ. California has it's avocado burger. I bet the midwest states have the perfect chili burger. Maybe Florida has a special gator burger! Share your favorites! Can't we all just get along??

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  • 19. Posted by Alicia on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 2:00 pm PST

    PSHHT! I don't know which one is it, but I'd believe it started in Texas..! All I know is Texas knows how to do it right. :D

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  • 20. Posted by leolover522000 on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 2:19 pm PST

    The best burger is the that is created on the grill inones own back yard.

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  • 21. Posted by apalindromepotato on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 2:52 pm PST

    The hamburger was invented by a guy who stuck meatballs inbetween two pieces of bread and called it a hamburger.

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  • 22. Posted by amy. on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 2:54 pm PST

    ummm . who cares ? it`s not like the state will get more famous . (:

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  • 23. Posted by maggie on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 3:00 pm PST

    ummm... hate to burst a bubble.. but neither... it was invented in Germany.. Hamburg germany actually and well.. thats kinda how it got its name.. see... sigh... not everything is or was born in the states.

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  • 24. Posted by ChelB on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 3:28 pm PST

    Akron, Oh also prides itself on being the birthplace of the hamburger--Menches Brothers Restaurants. Please, give Akron something to be proud of!

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  • 25. Posted by Angelic on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 3:55 pm PST

    Guys its not a question of where in the world it was invented its when in the states did it show up. My concern is when it showed up in the U.S.A. first not where in the world it was invented first. I don't care that Germany invented it I just want to know which city,state it showed up in first and based upon research studies New Haven seems to be coming up more in the books than Texas does. (this is based upon my culinary history books though) to be honest I believe the books more than I do the internet so if a nonfiction book says its New Haven then I believe it.

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  • 26. Posted by christina v on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 4:08 pm PST

    does it matter? i agree wht the guy who wants iowa beef. corn fed is better.i should know, my family and i raise beefmasters!, and NOT everything is better in texas!

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  • 27. Posted by vyrgonzalez on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 4:19 pm PST

    in n outs better

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  • 28. Posted by javierfermoso on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 4:45 pm PST

    1891 Otto Kuasw, a cook of the port of Hamburg (Germany), prepared a sandwich that was doing the delights of the sailors and was consisting of a fillet of hamburger of fried cattle of butter with a fried egg above and between two toasted breads. 1894 The sailors who had eaten Otto's sandwich in Hamburg and were visiting the port of New York were telling to the owners of the restaurants the magnificent sandwiches of the German cook and the restaurants started serving and the restaurants began to serve the sandwiches that the sailors demanded. One tells that the sailors requested the sandwich by the name of "Hamburguesa". 1904 the plate appears in the World-wide Fair of San Luis that will revolutionize the American kitchen. Fletch Davis (Texas, the U.S.A.), more known like "viejo Dave", it is known being "verdadero" inventor of the hamburger adding between both toasted breads a bovine hamburger fillet with a little fresh onion.

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  • 29. Posted by steve on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 5:10 pm PST

    you guys are a bunch of losers commenting on this pointless story...just happened to see all these postings after the article, and the writer ought to be kicked for attaching a forum to this senseless article...go do something

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  • 30. Posted by lehaoz on Sun, Feb 04, 2007, 5:15 pm PST

    While it is true burgers may taste better in Texas, you have to be in the company of a bunch of morons to get one. So Connecticut wins.

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