TV anchors' 'Hamburger' gaffe gets Arab Twitterati hungry

A gaffe by a TV news anchor from the Riyadh-based Al-Ekhbariya channel went viral across Arab social media after the presenter mistakenly called the current site of the G20 summit as the "the German capital city of Hamburger".

The anchor made the gaffe to conclude a segment from a foreign correspondent stationed in the city of Hamburg, where world leaders from the G20 group of nations are meeting.

Arab Twitterati flooded social media to point out that the capital city of Germany is in fact Berlin and that the site of the G20 summit is Hamburg, while also speculating on the cause of the error.

The anchor was not however completely off the mark. 

The now world-famous Hamburger sandwich, popularised by US fast-food chains and found across the world, has long been held to be linked to the city of Hamburg.

How the name precisely originated is vague but is likely related to dishes brought over by immigrants to the US from Germany in the 19th century.

This proximity did not stop the flood of comments of social media. Some simply corrected the error:

[Translation: News anchor says the reporter spoke to us from “the German capital of hamburger”. Firstly the German capital city is Berlin. Secondly, the city is Hamburg and not hamburger]

Others, after correcting the error, speculated as to why the anchor confused the city with the dish.

[Firstly my dear the capital of Germany is Berlin. Secondly its called Hamburg not Hamburger. He looks hungry.]

While another (clearly even hungrier) user thought he had found a great holiday destination.

[Translation: God willing this year we can have our summer holiday in the German capital of Hamburger.]