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It is difficult to think of a food that better reflects the diversity of America than the burger. The hamburger, just like the constantly changing face of America, has evolved well beyond the patty of ground chuck from whence it came to an all-encompassing sandwich of ground meat, fish, or even vegetarian grains. Whether stacked high with fancy garnishes or served plain on the bun, today’s burger is the perfect American food: it is whatever the eater wants it to be.
Hamburger is legend in America. An online search for the history reveals there is as much lore surrounding the birth of ground beef sold on a bun as there are tall tales in the Wild West.
The history of commercialized hamburgers, those sold conveniently from the drive through window, is better known. White Castle, a fast food chain out of Kansas, is largely credited with popularizing a sandwich made of ground beef formed into a patty, cooked and served on a bun in the early part of the 20th century. But it was a little fast food joint in Southern California, McDonald’s, which brought the burger global with its then unique method of mechanized fast food production.
The burger of McDonald’s and White Castle reflected its era, a symbol of American ingenuity. The fast food burger represented our industriousness, the ability to make a consistent food product that is available whenever and wherever one might want it.
It would appear that the burger of today is experiencing a renaissance. As the quilt that is America--Mexican, Korean, Jewish, Caucasian, African--continues to evolve, so have our taste in burgers. For those who seek convenience and consistency there is still McDonalds, also Burger King, Wendy’s, and the family owned beacon of California burgers, In N Out.
But the America of today, the country of Google, iTunes, 600 channels of cable television, is one where gratification must still be instant but now also catered to individual taste. In this land of choice, country of immigrants, and haven of creativity, burgers have finally caught up with this trend.
Counter Burger, a growing chain of burger themed restaurants, has something for everyone: beef, turkey, and even a respectable vegetarian option, each of which can be customized with a range of buns, cheeses, vegetables, and saucy condiments.
What Umami burger, another California burger concept, does not allow in choice (even their bun is proprietary), it makes up for in creative concepts. In the Greenbird, turkey is topped with avocado, green cheese, green vegetables, and green Goddess dressing. The Triple pork combines ground pork with chorizo and bacon and the signature Umami burger towers with six layers of umami flavors assaulting the taste buds from all sides.
This Fourth of July, ditch the plain Jane burger and consider getting your burger grill out with the times. Celebrate the creative boom surrounding this favorite national food with multicultural burger options.
To ease into the burger mania, consider substituting beef with buffalo, turkey, or even a pork mixture. To layer in unusual flavorings, work around a theme. Indian spices mix well with grated onion and ground turkey. Beef can a take a Korean turn seasoned nicely with soy and garlic then topped with shredded kimchi. Pork can go Chinese with minced ginger, garlic, and lemongrass, the final (fully cooked) product smeared with spicy chili sauce. For a Latino theme, any meat will take well to a dose of chipotle and a topping of avocado and a favorite salsa.
In today’s America, land of the free, choice and convenience are finally meeting in the kitchen in the form of a modern burger. As diverse as our population, as creative as our finest minds, the burger is a celebration of many of things that make our people great. What better way to celebrate our independence?
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1168-american-hamburger-tradition/
The United States of Burgers
It is difficult to think of a food that better reflects the diversity of America than the burger. The hamburger, just like the constantly changing face of America, has evolved well beyond the patty of ground chuck from whence it came to an all-encompassing sandwich of ground meat, fish, or even vegetarian grains. Whether stacked high with fancy garnishes or served plain on the bun, today’s burger is the perfect American food: it is whatever the eater wants it to be.
Hamburger is legend in America. An online search for the history reveals there is as much lore surrounding the birth of ground beef sold on a bun as there are tall tales in the Wild West.
The history of commercialized hamburgers, those sold conveniently from the drive through window, is better known. White Castle, a fast food chain out of Kansas, is largely credited with popularizing a sandwich made of ground beef formed into a patty, cooked and served on a bun in the early part of the 20th century. But it was a little fast food joint in Southern California, McDonald’s, which brought the burger global with its then unique method of mechanized fast food production.
The burger of McDonald’s and White Castle reflected its era, a symbol of American ingenuity. The fast food burger represented our industriousness, the ability to make a consistent food product that is available whenever and wherever one might want it.
It would appear that the burger of today is experiencing a renaissance. As the quilt that is America--Mexican, Korean, Jewish, Caucasian, African--continues to evolve, so have our taste in burgers. For those who seek convenience and consistency there is still McDonalds, also Burger King, Wendy’s, and the family owned beacon of California burgers, In N Out.
But the America of today, the country of Google, iTunes, 600 channels of cable television, is one where gratification must still be instant but now also catered to individual taste. In this land of choice, country of immigrants, and haven of creativity, burgers have finally caught up with this trend.
Counter Burger, a growing chain of burger themed restaurants, has something for everyone: beef, turkey, and even a respectable vegetarian option, each of which can be customized with a range of buns, cheeses, vegetables, and saucy condiments.
What Umami burger, another California burger concept, does not allow in choice (even their bun is proprietary), it makes up for in creative concepts. In the Greenbird, turkey is topped with avocado, green cheese, green vegetables, and green Goddess dressing. The Triple pork combines ground pork with chorizo and bacon and the signature Umami burger towers with six layers of umami flavors assaulting the taste buds from all sides.
This Fourth of July, ditch the plain Jane burger and consider getting your burger grill out with the times. Celebrate the creative boom surrounding this favorite national food with multicultural burger options.
To ease into the burger mania, consider substituting beef with buffalo, turkey, or even a pork mixture. To layer in unusual flavorings, work around a theme. Indian spices mix well with grated onion and ground turkey. Beef can a take a Korean turn seasoned nicely with soy and garlic then topped with shredded kimchi. Pork can go Chinese with minced ginger, garlic, and lemongrass, the final (fully cooked) product smeared with spicy chili sauce. For a Latino theme, any meat will take well to a dose of chipotle and a topping of avocado and a favorite salsa.
In today’s America, land of the free, choice and convenience are finally meeting in the kitchen in the form of a modern burger. As diverse as our population, as creative as our finest minds, the burger is a celebration of many of things that make our people great. What better way to celebrate our independence?
Indian Turkey Burgers
Made with Dijon mustard, tomato chutney, hamburger buns, ground turkey, Indian spices, onion, eggs, salt, black pepper
Made with Dijon mustard, tomato chutney, hamburger buns, ground turkey, Indian spices, onion, eggs, salt, black pepper
Serves/Makes: 8
- 3 pounds ground lean ground turkey
- 4 teaspoons ground Indian spices such as Tandoori
- 1 medium onion
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 hamburger buns
***Condiments***
- tomato chutney
- Dijon mustard
Preheat grill to medium high (or can be done on a skillet). Peel onion and grate it on a box grater. In a large bowl, mix turkey, spices, grated onion, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix with hands until ingredients are just combined. Form meat mixture into patties.
On a lightly oiled preheated grill cook burgers for 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Split buns and toast on the grill while burgers rest. Serve with optional condiments.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1168-american-hamburger-tradition/