Hamburgers are deeply engraved in American food culture. The most famous sandwich on earth is now offered in every country in the world, and although, in essence, a burger is just a burger, you won’t find two that are identical.
Burgers might be fast food, but some of them are real works of art. As chefs continue to broaden their horizons, source better ingredients and take conventional dishes like burgers and pizza into fine-dining territory, we can confidently say that the best is still to come.
And even if burgers become trendier and more lavish, there are a few styles that are definitely here to stay.
The Cheeseburger
Some sources take the first cheeseburger all the way back to 1926 when someone accidentally dropped a slice of American cheese on top of a sizzling patty. We think, in fact, that it probably wasn’t an accident at all. People love to put delicious stuff over other delicious stuff since the beginning of mankind. And adding cheese to a burger seems well, natural.
Cheeseburgers may have many other ingredients (and let the debate begin!) The fact is, that as long as there’s cheese in there, you’ve got yourself a cheeseburger. If there were to be one rule, is that there should be at least one slice of cheese for each patty.
The Chicken Burger
After beef, if there’s a popular protein to make a great burger is chicken. This is no place for the inexperienced, it’s easier to mess up a chicken burger than getting it right, and great examples are rare. The thing is, preparing chicken is harder than pounding ground beef into a patty. Chicken must be flavorful, soft and juicy, and require more than part-time student-employees to master it.
The best chicken burgers usually include crispy, breaded n’ fried chicken breast and might be dressed with mayo. Love it or hate it; the chicken burger is not going anywhere.
The Kimchi Burger
The kimchi burger was created in South Korea but is now available in most major cities in America. This is the perfect example of globalization, America gave the burger to the world, and in return, it came back in thousands of different shapes and flavors. The guacamole burger is another example of cultural trade. Rice buns, blue cheese, teriyaki sauce, naan buns, pineapple and chili; the hamburger will never be the same, and we can thank international burger variations for that. The kimchi burger is here to stay, and it brought friends.
The Vegetarian Burger
We can’t ignore that vegetarian and vegan trends are getting stronger, and that’s great! But If you thought meat-based dishes like burgers where on the verge of extinction, think again. Plant-based patties, portobello burgers and lentil burgers, they all add up to the happy burger family. You’ll be seeing more, much more plant-based hamburgers around you, so embrace the flavor and go with the flow!
As you see, not all burgers are created equal, and it seems everyone has a favorite. Trends come and go, but the famous sandwich will outlive all of us, which means we’ll be able to enjoy delicious burgers ‘till our last day on earth!