The Great Burger Inventor Debate Even Rages On in Beijing (as Slow Boat Prepare 200 Free Burgers)

Just like settling into a blissful food coma after indulgently chowing down mouthful upon mouthful of glorious grub, Beijingers are now digesting the results of this year's charcoal-hot Burger Cup. While the competition ran extremely close as the city's rivalries played out bun-to-bun, it was Slow Boat who took home this year's ultimate burger crown, reclaiming the title after losing to Q Mex last year.

However, that wasn't the only fiery debate among voters during this barbecue bruhaha. No, a subcategory of voting about the person and place behind history's first hamburger also sparked a lively debate with little consensus.

Earlier in the competition, we put it to readers to tell us exactly which country created the humble burger form as we have come to love it today. At that time, 48 percent of you chose Germany as the country of origin versus 42 percent who picked America. Then there were some beguiling runners-up like China (5 percent), the Tatars (2 percent), and "everyone else": the English, French, Colombians, Mongols, and Aliens from Outer Space all with 3 percent each.

When we asked you which great mind was to thank for this time-honored bun and beef combo, answers varied widely and included, perhaps not so accurately, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, JRR Tolkien, Joseph Stalin, Kim Il-Sung, and Michael Jackson. However, the individuals with the most votes in our poll were (in order):

• Louis Lassen, the founder of Louis' Lunch burger restaurant (circa 1895) in New Haven, Connecticut
• Some Genius / Smart Guy
• God/Jesus
• Fletcher "Old Dave" Davis, a resident of Athens, Texas, who claimed to have invented the hamburger in the 1880s
• The Hamburglar, and ...
• The Earl of Hamburg (though you likely meant the 4th Earl of Sandwich?)

Amusing as those results are, we can't blame you entirely for not reaching a more reasonable conclusion. That's of course because the debate about who truly invented the hamburger has long reverberated throughout foodie history. Whoinventedit.net, for instance, notes that both the government of Connecticut and the Library of Congress credit Louis Lunch owner Louis Lassen with inventing hamburger, selling the first beef patty between buns in 1895. However, a New York Magazine article said the sandwich never had a name until a traveler from Hamburg, Germany, dedicated his hometown's title to the snack.

Then there's Texan historian Frank X. Tolbert, who says the first hamburger was made in (where else?) Athens, Texas by resident Fletcher Davis. The article adds, "Tolbert believed that Davis offered the sandwiches at a small lunch counter in the 1880s. He also offered the sandwiches to the Saint Louis World’s Fair in 1904." A Texas state legislature even went so far as to propose a bill to cement Davis' legacy, according to an ABC news story deliciously titled "A Major Beef! Who Invented the Hamburger?"

Let's not forget that there have also been innovators to the winning burger formula in the ensuing years. Take, for instance, Michael James 'Jim' Dellligatti (pictured above and in the main image at top) who invented McDonald's two-tiered Big Mac burger in 1968. Then there's Keizo Shimamoto a food blogger turned chef who nabbed headlines around the globe with his buzz-worthy ramen burger in 2013 (pictured below).

And even though we can all agree there have been endlessly inventive twists applied to burgers over the years, the burger's originator still remains elusive and up for argument.

Finally, if all of this debate has made you hungry, you're in luck because Slow Boat has announced that they'll be giving away 200 of their very own take on the burger – the Fryburger – this coming Tuesday, Jul 17, at 5pm in order to celebrate winning this year's Burger Cup. When you're guzzling Slow Boat's prizewinning burger down, take a moment to look up to the skies and thank anyone and everyone involved in the invention of this irresistible fast food staple. Amen.

Photo: AP, Uni You, Daily Mail, The Daily Beast, Slow Boat