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I ran across this recipe while putting together some stuff about Hemingway's last days, then discovered that NitroX had beat me to the punch of posting it. Maybe what follows will help someone else try out the recipe. There are three ingredients--India relish, Beau Monde seasoning, and Mei Yen powder--that may be difficult for some to source.

Mei Yen powder and Beau Monde seasoning are easy to make. The Mei Yen recipe is pretty-much standard. I worked-up the Beau Monde recipe through comparison with Hemingway's preferred Spice Island Beau Monde.

Mei Yen powder:
2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt (actually, any non-iodized salt would work)
2 1/4 teaspoons sugar (any crystalized sugar should work, don't use a powdered or confectioner's sugar)
1/2 teaspoon MSG
(by volume, that is 9 parts each of salt and sugar, and 2 parts MSG)
Mix it up and grind in a mortar, food processor, etc.

Beau Monde Seasoning
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 scant teaspoon powdered or confectioner's sugar
(by volume, that is 2 parts each of onion powder and celery salt, and ever-so-slightly-less than one part sugar)
Put all the ingredients in a small bottle, put the lid on the bottle, and shake it for about 30 seconds.

The India Relish took some work, first in determining the manufacturer and then in finding a recipe. Heinz India Relish was mentioned in one of Hemingway's grocery orders, so I went with that. The recipe has changed some since the 1950s, my recipe is based on some contemporary recipes that were said to produce a similar or same result. It is close to the modern product sold as Heinz India Relish, which may be available locally or, as always, via Amazon. Sorry for the odd measurements, I worked the recipe up and then cut it down to a reasonable level.

India Relish
2 large (fist-sized) green tomato
1 large yellow onion
1 sweet red pepper
1 very-mildly-hot pepper ( I used a pimento pepper, I wouldn't go hotter than an ancho if you are trying to duplicate the recipe)
1 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3 tablespoons sugar

The easy way to do this is to cut the stem scar from the tomatos, remove the skins from the onion and cut off the top and tip, and remove the caps and seeds from the peppers--then throw it all in a food processor until finely chopped. Lacking a food processor, do it by hand, mix it up, and set aside for a bit while working on the other ingredients.

Crack the cloves and allspice, then add cloves, allspice, and cinnamon stick to the vinegar. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Pour the mix through a strainer into another pan; throw the spices away--you want the spiced vinegar. Add the salt, mustard seeds, and sugar to the vinegar. Mix well, then return to a simmer. Add the chopped tomatos/onion/peppers, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, allow to cool before use. unless you can it, you'll need to refrigerate this.

A lot of work, but we are finally at the point of being able to make Poppa's burgers! The recipe calls for the following ingredients, I've added comments in parentheses.

1 pound ground lean beef (a recipe like this really calls for coarsely-ground never-frozen beef, I used a trimmed roast run through the coarse setting on a sausage grinder)
2 cloves, minced garlic (if you use the commercial minced garlic in olive oil, add just a tad)
2 little green onions, finely chopped (use scallions)
1 heaping teaspoon India Relish (recipe above)
2 tablespoons, capers (use the salted/pickled kind, NOT fresh)
1 heaping teaspoon, sage (dried, probably rubbed sage rather than ground)
1/2 teaspoon, Mei Yen powder (recipe above)
1 egg, beaten in a cup with a fork
about 1/3 cup dry red or white wine
1 tablespoon cooking oil (probably olive oil)

Break up the meat with a fork, and scatter the garlic, onions, and dry seasonings over it, then mix into the meat with a fork or your fingers (use a fork, try to avoid compressing or packing the ground meat together). Let the bowl of meat sit out for 10 or 15 minutes. Add the relish, capers, egg, and wine, then mix again with a fork. Let the meat sit marinating for 10 minutes or so. Make the patties by hand, patting them into shape rather than making a ball and pressing it. The patties should be about 1" thick,and wet but not runny. Let the patties rest on a plate while you heat up the oil in the frying pan (cast iron is best); you want it hot but not smoking (roughly 325-350 degrees F). Carefully drop the patties in the hot oil, then remove the pan from heat and let the patties fry for about 4-5 minutes. Flip the patties, return the pan to the heat for 1 minute, then remove and allow the patties to cook for another 3 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Interesting burger. I think it would be better with ground bison, or better yet, ground moose.

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