What you may consider to be a quintessentially American invention is actually mentioned in an ancient Roman cookbook called Apicius. The text was written by an unknown author sometime between the late 4th and 5th century AD and contains lots of recipes. One of those recipes describes a dish called 'Isicia Omentata'. It details how a cook should use minced meat, pepper, pine nuts and a rich fish-based sauce and form them all into a patty shape. This Roman delicacy looks very similar to modern day burgers once cooked. The Romans are also credited for being big users of 'fast...