hamburger

Fast food consisting of a fried patty of minced meat, usually served in a bread roll. About 4 million hamburgers are eaten each week worldwide. The world's largest hamburger chain is McDonald's.

The US international restaurant chain, T G I Friday's, announced on July 2001 that it would no longer serve ground beef that contained antibiotics or growth hormones. Its hamburgers will only contain ground beef from free-range cattle from one supplier. Natural beef makes up less than 5% of all US beef sales, but is the standard in Europe, where US beef is prohibited.

The hamburger (without the bun) is said to have been invented by medieval Tatar invaders of the Baltic area around Hamburg, Germany, from where it takes its name. As a dish made from minced meat, onions, bread, and milk, it was taken to the USA in the 19th century. The hamburger in its present form spread from there and was reintroduced to Europe in the 1960s.