Hamburgers are sandwiches made with ground beef, that has been shaped into a patty and then barbecued, fried, grilled, or broiled. Common additions include cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, onions, avocados and mustard. Some businesses that mainly sell hamburgers are McDonald's, Burger King and Jack In the Box. Hamburgers are also made in American homes, outside on patios and at picnics away from home. They are simple to make and they do not require many ingredients.

Some sources say that the Mongols invented the hamburger when they stored raw meat under their saddles while doing their raids. Other sources say the word hamburger comes from the city of Hamburg, Germany, and that it was originally Hamburg steak. John T Edge says the origin is obscured by history and undiscoverable, in his book Hamburgers & Fries.http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2005/08/the_history_of.html

The hamburger is a favorite at many fast food restaurants because of its relative ease to prepare. Several fast food chains specialize in hamburgers, including McDonald's, Burger King, Jack In The Box, Whitecastle, Carl's Jr. and Hardy's and Wendy's, to name a few.

Variations of the hamburger include the the cheeseburger, on which a slice of cheese is placed on the meat patty and the "Veggie burger" which includes a "fake meat" patty made of vegetable products. There are many variations from fish burger to a Mexican style bean burger. A restaurant called Red Robin serves more than 50 varieties of hamburgers including some with blue cheese, grilled mushrooms and jalapeno peppers. The meat and condiment choices for hamburgers are numerous and can be chosen according to your taste.http://www.gone-ta-pott.com/types_of_hamburgers.html