The origins of hamburgers in America are complex. While the term “hamburger” may have come from Hamburg, the sandwich-style burgers we know today are largely an American creation.

Hamburgers, as we know them, emerged in late-1800s America. Ground beef; however, has an ancient lineage, and there’s evidence suggesting that burgers evolved from steak tartare.

Originating in Central Asia around the 13th century, this minced beef dish spread to the Baltic Sea shores, where German merchants discovered it, eventually bringing it to Hamburg.

Minced beef caught on with the locals, but one major change was made — they started cooking the beef. By the mid-1700s, English cookbooks were speaking of Hamburg sausage.

In the 1800s, an influx of German immigrants to the U.S. introduced the Hamburg-style beef. Ground beef and hamburger were indistinguishable for decades until the USDA intervened.