Why is it called a 'harmburger' when there is no ham in it?

The answer is really quite simple: because they come from Hamburg, in Germany. However, their history is more complicated that that, and the question of who actually invented the first hamburger remains a mystery. Some say it was a group of nomadic people called the Tartars who tenderised their beef by placing it under a horse's saddle, flattening it into a patty. Others believe it was the German immigrants who travelled to the United States during the 19th century, bringing with them their favourite meal called Hamburg Style Beef - a chopped, raw piece of beef. Some argue that Americans placed the first cooked beef potty on a roll at the St Loius World Fair in 1921.