Hamburger America: Burgers and Books (Part 1)

Without trying to compete with our in-house foodie and accomplished food writer, Becky Diamond, in this post I’d like to highlight a cross-section of food, books, and libraries that I have recently discovered.

I can’t say I’m a fan of hamburgers. However, once in a while, a tasty burger is the perfect comfort food even for an immigrant in the United States. Although it’s hard to forget about the nutrition research that I support in my day job, but as long as it’s a treat, why not?

The Book That Started it

As for a book recommendation from a librarian, The Great American Burger Book written by George Motz, will guide the reader through unexpected cultural experiences across the country with its mouth-watering recipes. The idea behind the book is offering “food with a story,” as the author takes advantage of his culinary expertise to review some of the best hamburger restaurants across the United States. Divided into regions, hamburgers from about fifty locations are presented in the book along with detailed recipes, carefully measured ingredients, beautiful photography, the cooking process, and the end product, with a lot of advice from an experienced hamburger chef. Many of the regional recipes also highlight restaurants where one can have the perfect burger dining experience.

The names of the burgers are fun to decipher and match with a region: the Horse Shoe Sandwich from Illinois, the Juicy Lucy of Minnesota, the Loose Meat Sandwich of Iowa, the Teriyaki Burger from Hawaii, the Pastrami Burger from Utah, the Slug Burger from Mississippi, the Deep Fried Burger from Tennessee, the Fluff Screamer from Pennsylvania, and the Carolina Slaw Burger from North Carolina are just a few examples in this marvelous publication. In addition to the incredible historical data, background information, detailed recipes and pictures of both food and the various restaurants, there’s always a story tied to these details to make these descriptions more appealing.

Hamburger America, the restaurant recently opened by George Motz in SoHo, NYC, will give the reader a taste, pun intended. If you are lucky, you can watch George himself make your burger while chitchatting with customers sitting on one of the fifteen cheese-colored stools at the counter. Talking to the author and cook at the same time? Get your  copy of the book autographed, or even grease-printed, as we did, while enjoying the exquisite burgers, including the monthly special from the book? It’s a memorable and satisfying experience at the intersection of books and burgers.

Our Hamburger Story

The story of discovering this book is quite simple. My husband, the great hamburger connoisseur, purchased this updated version that takes the reader on a journey to discover the United States through hamburgers. But there’s so much more to it. Who knew that hamburgers, a basic, humble food, used to be made with scraps from steak originally and sold to the poor? The book also features an entire section on the tools of the trade. Although not everyone uses a spatula, tongs, or food rings, it’s worth finding out more about cooking hamburgers in the kitchen in a cast-iron skillet versus outdoors on a grill.

In our gluten-free society, hamburger rolls often receive a bad rap and are often replaced by lettuce leaves. According to the author, nothing can compete with the white squishy bun! Cheese or no cheese is a serious debate, comparable only to the big Jersey divider: Taylor ham or pork roll (the same thing, for non-Jerseyans). Of course, the so-called Jersey burger is a combination of quality hamburger and Taylor ham. Before readers break into some serious fight about the term, stay tuned for Part 2, highlighting another New Jersey-related section in the book.

Acknowledgments:

Books We Read thanks George Motz for the permission to take photos in the restaurant and share them here and on social media.

Related Books from Rutgers University Libraries*