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Enjoy this curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
May 28
Hamburger Day
A Hamburg Welcome
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today"
~ Popeye Comic Strip, J. Wellington Wimpy, 1931
Hamburg, Germany’s great northern port city, has long been known as a bustling gateway to the world. With its busy docks, sailors, merchants, and travelers passing constantly through its harbor, Hamburg became known for hearty, practical foods that could be prepared quickly and enjoyed with little fuss. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that the city’s name eventually became linked to one of the world’s favorite comfort foods.
But is that connection a real one? Most food historians believe there truly is a link between Hamburg and the hamburger, although exactly how the modern burger evolved remains a deliciously debated bit of culinary history.
Traditional German dishes like frikadellen or buletten—seasoned ground beef patties—may have inspired what became known as the “Hamburg steak.” The earliest English-language reference appears in Hannah Glasse’s 1763 cookbook The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, which includes a recipe for “Hamburg sausage.”
By the late 1800s, “hamburger sandwiches” were already being advertised in the American West, and in 1916 fry cook Walter Anderson helped popularize the hamburger served in a bun before co-founding White Castle.
Regardless, this lively round-the-room reel devised by Dieter Lange might conjure thoughts of either a trip to Hamburg where Scottish Country dancing flourishes or make you unexpectedly a bit peckish. Whether you prefer yours classic or veggie, or simply in dance form, enjoy this dance! 🕺 💃 🤎 ❤️ 💛 🍔 🍔 🍔 🧀 🥒 🇩🇪 🥨
A Hamburg Welcome
Should you want to do a deep dive into the origin of the popularity with the hamburger, you could easily go back to ancient Rome!
Centuries before the 20th century hamburger and all its variations, there was isicia omentata. Seasoned with white wine and fish sauce, the ancient Roman recipe could be history's earliest example of a hamburger, according to IFL Science.
The cookbook Apicius, which dates from the fourth or fifth century and was likely named for Marcus Gavius Apicius, who chronicled the extravagant diets of early Rome's upper class, contains a minced meat patty served with a bread roll, a sort of deconstructed burger.
The meat was flavored with ingredients like pine nuts, peppercorns, and a fermented fish sauce called garum. The roll that came with it was soaked in white wine!
Today variations of the hamburger appear everywhere, with even the development of the Haggis Burger, a recipe from Gary Maclean, National Chef of Scotland, should you want the drive-through equivalent of a fast food Burns supper! Don't forget the neeps and tatties chips with that.
For a list of the best hamburgers in Hamburg, click the Helden & Co. hambuger!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
