Hamburger. The name can be traced back to Hamburg, Germany, where seasoned ground beef – known as Hamburg steak – was a familiar meal in the 19th Century. Immigrants carried it across the Atlantic and, somewhere along the way, an American cook tucked it between two slices of bread. Portable, practical and perfect for fairs and public gatherings.
During WWI, the hamburger was briefly renamed the Liberty Sandwich. No one wanted to relate to anything sounding German. The name didn’t last, but (thankfully) the burger did. We’re confident enough to call it one of the most enduring foods in American history.
Hamburgers tell stories. Not all stories live in books (or on websites). They live in booths, at counters, and inside paper wrappers folded just right. Hamburgers show up when we’re celebrating and when we’re tired – after ballgames and before long drives home. They’re eaten quickly or lingered over, sometimes alone, sometimes surrounded by people.
Here in Greenville, burgers carry history. They’ve been flipped by generations of cooks, eaten by teenagers on first dates, and shared by families who return to the same spot week after week. Some are messy. Some are basic. Some are made to be eaten in the car. Some were meant to be eaten on the outdoor patio when you have nowhere else to be and drippings are not a problem.
That’s where Grilled In The Upstate begins.
This series isn’t about chasing the trendiest burger or crowning a winner. It’s about the moments burgers create – and the places that quietly become part of our lives. In the months ahead, we’ll explore Greenville’s burgers by category: the Best To-Go Burger, the Messiest Burger, the Most Classic Burger, the Patio Burger that somehow tastes better outside, to name just a few.
Hopefully, along the way, we’ll meet the people, places and stories that make each one worth remembering.