@heydon this sparked me to re-look up the beginnings and possible etymology of the word https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/why-is-it-called-a-hamburger.html
Unsurprised there’s no clear definition but they all seem to have some common thread.
@heydon This is a relief to learn because I’ve been avoiding frankfurters on anti-cannibalism grounds.
Seriously though, the etymology behind these and many other foods is in their (supposed) place of origin — Hamburg and Frankfurt. Wieners come to mind as another example — Wien is Vienna in German.
It's funny how the word got carved up. Hamburg means the river swampland (Hamme) fortress (Burg) in the old Germanic language of the time.
Germans stick 'er' on the end of a placename to mean a citizen thereof, or to mean something that belongs/has come from a place. So I am a Hamburger, and sometimes I eat a Hamburger fish sandwich.
Bürger also means citizen now, originally also coming from Burger, meaning someone who lived within the walls of a fortress town or city.
...
I guess Americans thought they knew what ham was, and just dropped that off the front. Then added other meats or toppings in there. Even if it now makes the word mean "cheese citizen".
The word Burger (no Umlaut dots on the u) now does mean the meat patty over here too. But living in Hamburg I do see "Hamburger" used a lot just to denote something is of this city...
@sarajw @heydon I love these connections between languages, and in particular I’m fascinated by what a mutt English is. The picture has gotten even more complete since my daughter has been learning French for several years, and I pick up bits and pieces of it.
I actually studied German for eight years, and did a semester in Kiel. Someday I would love to find the time to build my speaking skill up again and go back for a visit.
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