Burgers and Sausages – English Vocabulary
Many people wonder why a hamburger is called a hamburger when it doesn’t contain any ham – it only contains beef (or it should only contain beef, you never know what is really in it!).
But a hamburger doesn’t relate to the meat it contains but rather the place it came from – Hamburg, in Germany. In the 1800’s the biggest ports in Europe were in Germany. Restaurant owners in the USA would advertise ‘steak cooked in the Hamburg way’ to German sailors. These later came to be known as hamburgers. As variations of hamburgers were made (such as cheeseburgers) the name became to be just burgers.
Frankfurters
There is a type of sausage containing processed meat called Frankfurters. Any guess where these came from? Yes, Frankfurt in Germany.
Weiners
And an American term for a hotdog sausage is a Weiner. Where did these come from? Wien? Yes! Wien is the German name for Vienna.
English Bangers
Did you know that in England an informal way to say sausage is banger.
Bangers and Mash = Sausages and Mashed Potatoes
What’s your favourite type of burger?
Have you had a frankfurter? What about a wiener?
