Hamburger Steak

This recipe is drawn from "Megale amerikanike mageirike", a landmark Greek-language cookbook first published in New York in 1917 for the growing Greek immigrant community in America. The book served to familiarize Greek cooks—and their families—with American dishes, helping bridge cultures through food. The Hamburger Steak, popularized in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, showcases the adaptation of the German Hamburg steak to American tastes—simple, hearty, and suited to home cooks with limited resources but high culinary expectations. This recipe reflects the era’s values: thrift, efficiency, and the spirit of blending old-world skills with new-world ingredients.

At the time, a sturdy wooden mixing bowl would be used to knead the seasoned minced beef by hand, ensuring even distribution of salt, pepper, and flour. A heavy cast-iron skillet or shallow frying pan would be placed over a coal or gas stovetop for frying. Alternatively, a simple charcoal or wood-fired grill could serve. For the fried potatoes, a sharp kitchen knife and another wide pan, or deep vessel for frying, would suffice. Serving was straightforward: the patties would be placed on an earthenware or enamel plate, with the fried potatoes arranged alongside.