If you're scratching your head right now, you're not alone. But Chinese hamburgers are very real and they definitely predate the hamburgers we call our own in the U.S. Known as rou jia mo, which translates to "meat burger" or "meat sandwich," they consist of chopped meat inside a pita-like bun, and they've been around since the Qin dynasty, from about 221 BC to 207 BC. Despite the differences between this Chinese street food and our American-style burgers, the rou jia mo "has been called the world's first hamburger."

 

The rou jia mo originated in the Shaanxi province of China, and is now eaten all over the country. It's typically prepared and eaten on the street. The dough¹ for the bun, or mo, consists of a simple mixture of wheat flour, water and maybe yeast². Of course recipes may vary, but this basic equation makes for a chewy and subtle pillow for the delicious filling. While the mo is traditionally baked in a clay oven, today it's often fried in a pan. They may look a little like Chinese steamed buns or baos, but the dough for those are, of course, steamed, not baked or fried.

 

The meat filling might consist of chopped pork, beef, lamb or chicken that has been stewed³ with a variety of spices, like ginger⁴, cloves⁵, coriander and star anise. You might also find herbs like cilantro or greens like lettuce⁶ garnishing⁷ the sandwich.

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