So, did hamburgers originate in China?

Heated online debate has been triggered over the relationship between hamburgers and rou jia mo, a Chinese snack that has been described as "the world's first hamburger".

Rou jia mo, which translates as "meat placed between bun", has a similar recipe to hamburgers, consisting of chopped meat inside a bun.

The street food originated in Shaanxi province in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), according to United States-based online news blog the Huffington Post. According to local folklore, it may even date to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) before the Qin Dynasty.