Hamburgers are named for a city in Germany called Hamburg. They were probably invented in Germany, though what we now know as a hamburger was created in the United States in the 19th century. Hamburgers appeared on menus in England and the United States in the 19th century, and became a popular food after the 1904 World's Fair. What is called a hamburger throughout the world today was different than the first German hamburgers; German dishes often involved a steak or sausage between pieces of bread instead of ground meat.