Minced steak between two pieces of bread. This is the basis of the recipe that has fascinated the human palate for hundreds of years and continues to cause a sensation in Spain and much of our planet today. The benefits of minced meat were known in the Roman period, but in the 19th century, the benefits of minced meat were known. HamburgGerman sailors took their recipe to the United States, where a chef from Connecticut made it. first american hamburger.
This is at least one of the most defended versions, as other states in the country also claim to be the inventors of a dish that crossed all kinds of borders and became what we know today. This evolution has not slowed down all these years and hamburgers have managed to adapt to every period, situation and culture.
We met the modern hamburger in Spain in the middle of the last century, when cinema opened the door to American society and gastronomy. Since then, bars and restaurants where the hamburger is the star dish have increased in all provinces of our country, reaching the terrible numbers we know today. The latest data for this dish epicenter of the fast food marketAccording to DBK Sector Observatory, it receives 60% of its total profits. Only hamburger sales had a similar turnover in 2023 3.2 billion eurosAccording to DBK analysts, the sector will continue to develop more dynamically, with growth of 12.4% and “growth between 8% and 10%”.
“Now there is more burger culture, more quality and more research.”
Amid these overwhelming numbers, burger restaurants continue to expand, and every year we find more such establishments in our cities. Jokin San Jose He knows this industry firsthand due to his work in social networks. With nearly 47,000 followers on Instagram and more than 28,000 on TikTok, this young man from Biscay spends most of his time Recommend the best burgers to your followers which you have tried in countless organizations. According to him, the health of the hamburger industry is quite good: “The hamburger explosion is very remarkable. I don’t know if it’s going to be a bubble, but I think it’s a positive thing because of the natural selection involved. “I think those who innovate and adapt to the times will continue.”
Part of this adaptation has been seen in recent years, where the hamburger has gone from being a cheap fast food dish that doesn’t require a lot of preparation to becoming a new fast food dish. a gourmet option. “The best ‘burger’ used to be a loaf of bread, one of those buns that bleed when you bite into them, with lettuce on the side, bacon that was so soft it looked like chewing gum… I ate a lot of those too, and I liked them too, but Now there is more burger culture, more quality and more research.” the young man points out.
taste mix
The demand for a more elaborate and innovative product has flooded the hamburger market with new products. The most curious combinations. These more traditional recipes have given way to Pelotazos, Pantera Rosa, ‘burguers’ with Lotus cookie cream filled with Nutella or Kinder Bueno. Jokin is passionate about mixing these very different flavors. “I tried a lot of crazy things. “Some with kebab meat, some with donuts and smoked strawberry jam, or the same one I made for a restaurant this May, with Neapolitan bread, pistachio cream and bacon,” says this young man. Would you like to eat it too? Try the flavored hamburger dalsi syrup This has gone viral in recent days.
“I paid 25 euros for a hamburger and I was so pleased with the experience it gave me in terms of taste, smell and sensations.”
But it’s not just the strangest combinations that attract the public to these establishments. These gourmet burgers are often two or three times the price of more traditional ones, so their quality is unquestionable. The client wants to be fed but tries to live beyond that a new experiencein a certain environment, with a well-made, quality product. “I paid 25 Euros for a hamburger and I was so pleased with the experience it gave me in terms of taste, smell and sensations”, Supports ‘My Best Burgers’ account manager.
First class ingredients
This Secondary Art teacher believes that burgers have undergone major changes in recent years, turning them into a dish that is far from what we understand as junk food. “We already had good meat, but it was always fresh and everything was evenly chopped. Now we can ask the butcher to cut the fillet according to our taste, for example, in the shape of a skirt, with a net and 20% fat. “You can play with any type of meat you want.”he continues. Another important point is maturation; According to San José, long ago it was thought that the fresher the meat, the better it was, but today in many places this has been cast aside by knowing how to evaluate the meat. Advantages of maturing the productwhich intensifies its flavor and makes it more tender and juicy.
On the other hand, it also emphasizes the evolution taking place. bread. Quality bakery breads are now used with a good proportion of butter, and more emphasis is placed on cheese, because “you put a slice in first and that’s it.” I didn’t mean it lettuce is banned There’s something in most recipes that the Basque ‘influencer’ highly praises: “It might work if you cut it into julienne and remove the moisture, but in many places I see two wet lettuce leaves added just because it’s typical”.
“People want to try new things. It doesn’t just happen with burgers, it also happens with pizzas or pastries.”
But apart from first-class ingredients, detailed preparation and very careful presentation, part of the success of gourmet burgers also depends on: innovation what they offer diners in a very traditional market. “We have one of the best cuisines in the world in Euskadi and I love traditional cuisine but I think people want that too. trying new things. “This doesn’t just happen with burgers, I see it with pizza and pastries as well,” says Jokin.
The power of social media
Beyond the product, which played a major role in the rise of this dish, communication also played a fundamental role. Innovation is not just in burgers, as large chains and small businesses are also investing in burgers. the riskiest and most cutting-edge marketing and branding campaigns on the internet or other formats.
“Hamburgers are a very ‘Instagrammable’ product, easy to go viral and there are lots of ingredients you can play around with.”
Food influencers like Jokin San José are becoming an essential part of the business because of their ability to mobilize customers. “I think there is a relationship between the two. The gourmet burger boom and the expansion of social networks. “Burgers are a very ‘instagrammable’ product, easy to go viral and have a lot of ingredients that you can play with and that go well with meat,” believes the Biscayan professor, whose success on the networks is so great that he is processing a permit. 100% credit to his work with ‘My Top Burguers’ to dedicate
There is one like it in Spain too other influencers, some of which are in very large networks and are dedicated to recommending and talking about food. This is, for example, the case of Sergio Enciso, who has more than 700,000 followers on his Instagram account and where everything revolves around food, or Jorge González, known in the virtual world as Joe Burguerchallenge, who has around 460,000 ‘followers’. . Fast food businesses are aware of the power of these channels and include them in their communication campaigns.
Besides these channels devoted solely to fast food-related topics, other prominent media figures have also signed numerous collaborations with major hamburger restaurants. This is the case of the singer Aitana, who released his McAitana with Ronald the clown, or Juan Alberto García, better known as IlloJuan, who collaborated with the chef Dani, like other ‘youtubers’ or ‘streamers’. Garcia makes his own burgers.
With the ‘burger’ craze, competitions where ‘best burger’ awards are given have also expanded. One of the best known competitions today’‘Champions Burger’A traveling gastronomic event that travels to over 15 cities in search of the best burger. In this competition, it is the audience who tastes the dishes who will choose the winner with their votes. This competition, which has more than 143,000 followers on Instagram, is another example of how the hamburger continues to make history in our country and in the world.
Source: Informacion
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.