Hey burger lovers, here is another claim on the title of "Birthplace of the Hamburger".

In 1885 Frank and Charles Menches claim to have sold a ground beef sandwich at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York. Their invention came about because they ran out of pork for their sausage sandwiches during the fair and substituted beef.

Frank Menches says that they ran out of sausage, so they contacted butcher, Andrew Klein to buy chopped up beef as an emergency replacement. The story notes that the origin of the hamburger comes from Hamburg, New York. Oddly, Frank Menches’s obituary in The New York Times states that these events took place at the 1892 Summit County Fair in Akron, Ohio.

It says right on the current Menches Bros. menu in Ohio (yes they’re still in business) that they invented the hamburger. It has to be true, right? Hmmmm.

http://menchesbros.net/