Is A Burger Technically A Sandwich Or Its Own Thing?

While you're busy reading up on essential tips for grilling perfect burgers, you may wonder: is a burger a sandwich or something else? It's a question that has existed for years. Flip through the pages of your closest dictionary, and you'll likely discover that a sandwich consists of two or more bread slices with a filling between them. The bread can be a split roll, or a single slice (commonly known as an open-faced sandwich). So, technically a hamburger is a sandwich. Right? That depends on who you ask.

Some contend that burgers and sandwiches have different shapes. Plus, the simple fact that a burger must be cooked while the same process isn't necessarily required for a sandwich is further evidence of a major difference, at least to some. Other sources indicate that it's the unique combination of meat, bread, and condiments that make a burger something altogether different from a sandwich.

But is that enough to distinguish between the two? If you place a fish fillet on a bun and add lettuce, tomato, ketchup, pickles, and onion, is that a fish sandwich ... or a fish burger? Heck, is a hot dog a sandwich? (Even top chefs can't agree on that one.) Ultimately, we'll have to leave the decision up to you, though common U.S. custom is to consider a burger different — just take a look at your next fast food or diner menu, which often makes that very distinction.

Many have heard the story of how the 18th-century John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich created his namesake mainstay of lunches everywhere. Yet the sandwich existed long before Montagu's name was attached to it (we don't even really know how he got involved). Supposedly, the scholar and rabbi Hillel the Elder, who lived in the first century B.C. in Babylon, ate sandwiches made from lamb (a now-classic Passover and Easter food), matzoh bread, and bitter herbs. Fast forward to the 20th century and sandwiches in a variety of forms were popular in the United States.

The hamburger, on the other hand, has a shorter history that's easier to track. During the 19th century, Americans weren't eager to eat meat that had been chopped or ground. Then, in 1867, New York doctor James H. Salisbury proposed that a cooked beef patty might be healthy. The public wasted no time latching on to the result: Salisbury steak. Once home meat grinders came on the scene, there was an even greater demand for ground beef. The hamburger was introduced to an even wider audience during the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, though by then it was already an established dish. Still, there's no clear evidence that people thought this new addition to the culinary scene was or wasn't a sandwich, leaving plenty of room for debate at your next foodie get-together.