Creator of the hamburger. He began his career as a blacksmith in Denmark, emigrating to New Haven in 1886. He went into business for himself as a food peddler, and in 1895 began selling lunch items from his food cart. In 1900, the legend goes, he created the hamburger by scraping together some beef trimmings and placing them between two pieces of toasted bread to serve to a customer in a hurry for something quick on the run. The item became successful and earned Louis his place in history. Over the years, however, there have been questions raised as to the validity of Louis Lassen's claim. Some by those who question whether putting a piece of beef between toast really constitutes a hamburger as it is commonly known, and by others who have dated some form of burger back to the mid 1880's. At least four other claimants exist, including Otto Kuasw, a German cook who sold beef patties in Hamburg, Germany, Charlie Nagreen, who sold his burgers for many years at the Outagamie County Fair in Wisconsin, Fletcher Davis, a café owner in Athens, Texas, and Frank and Charles Menches, two brothers from Akron, Ohio, who claim to have sold their first sandwich in Hamburg, New York. However, The Library of Congress has officially backed Louis Lassen, stating he served the first hamburger in the United States in 1900. Louis Lunch, his original business, still operates out of the same building it moved into in 1917, and still serves its burgers between two slices of bread, with no condiments.
Creator of the hamburger. He began his career as a blacksmith in Denmark, emigrating to New Haven in 1886. He went into business for himself as a food peddler, and in 1895 began selling lunch items from his food cart. In 1900, the legend goes, he created the hamburger by scraping together some beef trimmings and placing them between two pieces of toasted bread to serve to a customer in a hurry for something quick on the run. The item became successful and earned Louis his place in history. Over the years, however, there have been questions raised as to the validity of Louis Lassen's claim. Some by those who question whether putting a piece of beef between toast really constitutes a hamburger as it is commonly known, and by others who have dated some form of burger back to the mid 1880's. At least four other claimants exist, including Otto Kuasw, a German cook who sold beef patties in Hamburg, Germany, Charlie Nagreen, who sold his burgers for many years at the Outagamie County Fair in Wisconsin, Fletcher Davis, a café owner in Athens, Texas, and Frank and Charles Menches, two brothers from Akron, Ohio, who claim to have sold their first sandwich in Hamburg, New York. However, The Library of Congress has officially backed Louis Lassen, stating he served the first hamburger in the United States in 1900. Louis Lunch, his original business, still operates out of the same building it moved into in 1917, and still serves its burgers between two slices of bread, with no condiments.
Bio by: Sean McKim
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