Have you ever bumped into the anecdotal or philosophical question: 'why is there no ham in a hamburger?' This question is often used as an example to demonstrate the complications generated by homonyms in folk etymology, or to remind us to widen our horizons. The standard answer, of course, is that in reality the hamburger is named after the German city of Hamburg¹. It follows the same naming pattern as numerous other foodstuffs, like the kasseler (a cured pork thing from Kassel), the manchego (a cheese from La Mancha) or mayonnaise (the amorphous white stuff from Menorca). The fact that one will find the word 'ham' in 'hamburger' is mere coincidence.

Coincidence - Shmoincidence

Now, this begs the question whence the 'Ham' in 'Hamburg' comes from, and this particular question is rarely addressed in common literature. The city is named after the castle of 'Hamma', in one of its oldest versions 'Hammaborg', with borg being the word for 'castle' or 'fortress'. It cannot be told with absolute certainty, but one widely accepted and plausible etymology is that the word 'Ham' in 'Hamburg' comes from the Old High German word hamma, which denotes a 'kink' or a 'bend'. In this case it referred to a curve or bend of the river Elbe, near which the castle was situated².

Upon the transition to Old English the word hamma suffers a slight shift in meaning, denoting 'hollow or bend of the knee'. This is, loosely, the part of the pig used to make 'ham', which is the reason why ham is called ham.

Conclusion

In conclusion, one should remember, when confronted with the original question, that the correct answer is that both the hamburger and the city of Hamburg have their origin in ham, for different reasons in a different context, granted, but anyway...