By Kevin Williams
UPDATED: My copy of Lanc. Amish Cooking has yielded a trove of interesting recipes - like today's Lancaster Creamed Hamburger - that really reflect Amish culture at the time (this was published in the 1970s). One interesting aspect (besides the recipes, which are mainly traditional Amish with some head scratchers thrown in: American Chop Suey?) of the book is the grammar/dialect. Most of the time hamburger is referred to as "hamburg." Now I was born in 1972, this was published in 1977, I certain am not familiar with the term "hamburg" being used in place of hamburger. But maybe some of you are? Or perhaps there was just someone who made a typo consistently? Of course, the book is also just called LANC. County, so perhaps they just shortened everything. I'd be interested to know. By the way, there are still used copies of this book available at Amazon.
In doing some cursory research online, references to Hamburg Steak began occurring sometime in the mid-1800s. The meat "Hamburg" is uncooked ground beef, where "hamburger" is the patty version of uncooked hamburg. The past half century or so, though, people just call it ground beef or hamburger. Hamburg seems to have fallen out of favor as a term. The Amish, however, often lag behind on cultural customs, so not surprising to see a cookbook from the 1980s still calling it Hamburg.
So, in that vein, I will share a recipe with you from the book for "cream hamburg." Very easy, tasty, traditional Amish skillet supper. Here are some photos and the recipe for Lancaster Creamed Hamburger:
Very basic ingredients.
The above photo is cooking the "hamburg."
Add some of the good stuff to it!
This is after it has all been cooked and spooned into a bowl and then pile onto some toast and sprinkle cheese. Good stuff!
🍔 Creamed Hamburger Ingredients
- 1 pound hamburger
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 /2 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1 /2 cups cold milk
- 2 - 3 tablespoons flour
📋 Instructions
- Melt butter, add hamburg, onion, and salt.
- Brown.
- After browned place over on pan and let cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Take from heat and add flour
- Stirring add milk and cook until thick.
- Serve on toast.
🥩 More Amish Hamburger/Ground Beef Recipes
Fannie Martin's Hamburger Corn Casserole
Bishop's Sour Cream Rice Beef Bake
🖨️ Lancaster Creamed Hamburger
Lancaster Cream Hamburger
Ingredients
- 1 pound hamburger
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 /2 onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1 /2 cups cold milk
- 2 - 3 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Melt butter, add hamburg, onion, and salt.
- Brown hamburger. After browned place over on pan and let cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Take from heat and add flour
- Stirring add milk and cook until thick. Serve on toast.
Nana
I grew up calling this hamburg gravy to be served over mashed potatoes. I use the word hamburg to meat the plain ground beef. Hamburger is the sandwich patty made form hamburg.
Nana
Sorry for two posts , but I meant to add that I had a friend from Connecticut who mentioned American Chop Suey to me. I was curious enough to ask what it was and when she described it , I had to laugh. it is a macaroni, tomato, hamburg dish that I knew at my childhood home as goulash until I went to school and learned the cafeteria menu called it Johnny Marzetti. As far as I can determine it is all the same dish.
Kevin
Interesting about "hamburg".....I had never heard the term before other than the city in Germany...
Diane
That to me sounds like the hamburger gravy mom made to put over our potatoes.
Kathy
I live in Michigan and a lot of people call it Hamburg here. I know when I moved here from Indiana it seemed strange, but I do the same thing now too.
Kevin
Seems to be a New England thing...
Cindy Craig
I grew up eating hamburger gravy on toast. I just made some night before last for our supper and served it over mashed potatoes. Yummy!!
Suzanne
My Mother used to make a creamed hamburg that was quite bland to me until she added Worcestershire sauce and cheddar cheese to it. Then she would make mashed potatoes and serve it over the potatoes. I believe she called it Sloppy Hamburg though, not creamed hamburg. It basically the same recipe as for creamed dried beef or sausage gravy.
Kevin Williams
Thanks, Suzanne, interesting...I definitely think the Worcestershire sauce is a great idea to add some flavor
Jen
I’m from southern York county in PA, the older folks still call it ‘hamburgs’. My husband (from Maryland) thinks it’s hilarious when we go to the Jefferson carnival in the summer and the menu lists hot dogs, sausage sandwiches, French fries, and ‘hamburgs.’
Kevin Williams
Wow, really, interesting, Jen...so you actually have seen that term on present-day menus there....I guess it is not just an old-timers term...
Deanne
Hey Kevin,
As I can see by the various posts this dish is pretty much all over the country under the guise of different names. In south Texas my Iowa born momma learned this recipe from my Colorado born daddy and he called it S.O.S and it was served on mash potatoes or toast.
I now make it with slight variations. After the hamburger meat is fried I sprinkle flour over it and mix it in then I add a can of Cream of Mushroom soup with 3/4 cup of milk. If it’s still too thick just add more milk.
Kevin Williams
Ah,thanks, Deanne, I've heard of S.O.S. (I'll not spell it out) and I actually wondered if this is what it was....glad to have that clarified.