According to hamburger scholar George Motz, the origins of America’s most popular sandwich can be traced to 13th-century Mongolia, where Mongls and Tatars were battling for primacy.
“Apparently, the Tatars had a taste for raw mutton,” Motz told CNN in 2022.
“They would ride all day long with raw mutton under their saddles. When they finally set up camp, they would take this raw, warm mutton, chop it up, probably add some spices or something, and eat it that way.”
In case you’re wondering, yes, this saddle-finished Tatar culinary innnovation led to the French word tartare (“chopped fine, served raw”), describing meat one wouldn’t expect to eat at McDonald’s any time soon—but why eat at McDonald’s, any time?
Fast forwarding a few centuries, the Tatar dish reached Germany via trading through Hanseatic League ports on the Baltic Sea. Raw mutton was discarded, to be replaced by chopped and cooked beef, known to us as frikadellen.
However, Germany was not the final destination for this wandering culinary treat.
Motz explained that as German migrants waited for their ships (to America), they ate frikadellen as a cheap and tasty meal option. When they left Hamburg for the US in the mid-19th century, migrants brought knowledge of the dish with them.
And the rest is history.
The frikadellen meant nothing to most people who were living in the US unless you were German. So they had to change the name at that point to ‘steak in the style of Hamburg,’ or simply, Hamburg steak.
All of which brings us to our friend and colleague Kevin Gibson, as always on the hunt for good things to eat. At Resch’s Tavern (523 Eastern Blvd., just off I-65 in Clarksville), Kevin found a burger to sink his teeth into.
The Taste Bud: The Resch’s Tavern Burger Comes as Advertised
When we sat down, we immediately felt at home. An old-school menu board hangs on one wall, a cooler at the other end of the room has beer to go. A napkin holder featured a sign that read, “Best cheeseburger in town.”
Members of the jury (well, Kevin and his dad) were presented the evidence.
It was indeed a mouthful. And a belly full — I barely managed to finish it. Here’s the thing: The burgers, which were served medium well (I usually prefer medium rare), were authentic and delicious. Clearly hand-pattied, seasoned just enough to boost flavor, and clearly quality meat. And while it was cooked a tad longer than I liked it, it was still juicy and tender. It dawned on me as I trudged through the massive meat bomb that a good burger really can – and maybe should – be something quite simple.
Head over to Kevin’s website to get the whole savory story, and be aware that while Resch’s Tavern isn’t a social media maven, an unofficial page is available at Facebook.
Photo credits: Kevin Gibson.
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Kevin Gibson has been a professional writer for more than three decades, having written about restaurants, beer, bourbon, sports, night life, music and plenty more. He has won numerous awards from The Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists and Indiana State Press Association, among others, but can’t remember where he put most of them. In addition, he has written for publications like LEO Weekly, Bourbon+ magazine, Thrillist, Alcohol Professor, Louisville Magazine and many more, including various newspapers. When he’s not busy writing books or stories about Louisville, he’s likely hanging out at a brewery with his dog, Atticus.
