Why do they call it a HAMburger?

[Dr. KillGood]

It is not made from a pig, but a cow? So why?

[palmertech]

It had nothing to do with ham, it was invented in the city of hamburg. Hence, hamburger.

[lifeisbetterwithketchup]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger#Definition

"According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the term "hamburger" comes from Hamburg steak, which was first recorded in English in 1884 but was probably used much earlier. A form of pounded beef called "Hamburg Steak" was common in Hamburg in the middle of the 19th century. The recipe was brought to North America by the large numbers of people immigrating from Germany at the time, many of whom passed through the port of Hamburg. There is indirect evidence for its use on an American menu in 1836. The form hamburger steak first appeared in a Washington state newspaper in 1889. The first recipe close to the current idea of a hamburger, using ground beef mixed with onion and pepper dates from 1902."

EDIT: Damn, palmertech beat me!

[Gamelver]

You'd think that on a forum like this people would know how to use google...