Veggie burger

There have been numerous claims of invention of the veggie burger. The dish, by name, may have been created in London in 1982 by Gregory Sams, who called it the 'VegeBurger'. Sams and his brother Craig had run a natural food restaurant in Paddington since the 1960s;[1] a Carrefour hypermarket in Southampton sold 2000 packets in three weeks after its launch.[2] An earlier reference can be heard in the 7 June 1948 episode of the American radio drama series Let George Do It called "The Mister Mirch Case" where a character refers to "vegeburgers" as a burger made of nuts and legumes.

Using the name Gardenburger, an early veggie burger was developed by Paul Wenner around 1980 or 1981 in Wenner's vegetarian restaurant, The Gardenhouse, in Gresham, Oregon.[3]

Some fast food companies have been offering vegetarian foods increasingly since the beginning of the 21st century.

McDonald's

A McVeggie sandwich from a McDonald's in India

Different kinds of veggie burgers, including the vegetarian McVeggie, the vegan McVegan, and the McPlant, are also served permanently in McDonald's restaurants in:

• India (McVeggie, consisting of a fried, breaded patty of ground vegetables, with lettuce and ketchup, in a wholewheat, sesame or focaccia bun)
• Bahrain[10]
• Cheung Chau, Hong Kong (McVeggie, in Cheung Chau Bun Festival)
• Egypt (McFalafel, consisting of a falafel patty with tomato, lettuce and tahini sauce)[11][12]
• Finland (McVegan)[13]
• Germany since February 2010, McDonald's Germany, its fourth-biggest global market, is serving veggie burgers in all its restaurants.[14][15]
• Greece (McVeggie, consisting of a breaded and fried vegetable patty with tomato, iceberg lettuce and ketchup, in a sesame bun)[16]
• Malaysia[17]
• The Netherlands (Groentenburger=Vegetable Burger)[18]
• Portugal (McVeggie, since November 2016)[19]
• New Zealand (McVeggie, since December 2019)[20]
• Sweden (McVegan)[21]
• Switzerland (Vegi Mac)[10][22][23]
• United Arab Emirates[24]
• United Kingdom (McPlant)[25]

Manufacturing often follows certain steps. One commercial recipe runs as follows.[26][27]

The grains and vegetables used in the patties are first washed and thoroughly cleaned to help ensure the removal of dirt, bacteria, chemical residues, and other materials that may be on the raw products. This process can either be done by hand or through the use of machinery such as high-pressure sprayers. With the use of a conveyor belt, the food is moved along under a high-pressure sprayer to remove the debris listed above. Another method that may be used by companies is the use of a hollow drum which circulates the food while water is sprayed onto it to remove the debris.

Grains of rice before cooking

Next, a steam-heated mixer is used to cook the grain and remove any extra debris and excess water. The mixer typically has oils within it (such as safflower oil). As the oil simmers, the grains are gradually added in and the blades are used to mix the grains around. The steam created in the mixer allows the grains to cook resulting in a puree.

Next the vegetables are cut up into smaller pieces to allow more surface area for cooking purposes. This can be done by hand or through the use of machines in factories.

The vegetables are then added to the grain mixture in the steam-heated mixture. The exact ratio of grains to vegetables is unique to each company, resulting in different textures and tastes that are produced.

As the vegetables are being cooked in the mixer, their natural sugars release, resulting in caramelization. The sweet flavors thus created from this caramelization are mixed uniformly in the mixer. The technique used for the creation of this caramelization mixture is called mirepoix. This technique is very important to the production of veggie burgers, as it adds both texture and flavor to the patty.

Dry ingredients, such as oats, can be added to the manufacturing process.

The mirepoix mixture is then placed into another mixing tub, where dry ingredients such as oats, walnuts, potato flakes, and more are added. The mixture is then folded together to make a uniform mix. The moisture from the vegetables causes the mixture to become sticky, thus clumping together like cookie dough. This is important, as it allows the veggie burger to stick together to form the patty.

The mixture is now put into an automatic patty-making machine or press. The press then punches out the patties into a disc shape onto a conveyor belt underneath. A constant spray of water may also be used to prevent any of the mixture from sticking to machinery parts. Once on the conveyor tray, the patties move along to be put onto baking trays.

Patties are first inspected to make sure they are the correct shape, size, and texture to ensure a high-quality product. The trays are then put into a heated convection oven at a designated temperature and time.

Once out of the oven, the patties are quickly frozen with techniques such as individual quick freezing and cryogenic freezing.[28] These quick-freezing methods freeze the patties within 30 minutes to lock in nutrients and preserve texture by the formation of a number of small ice crystals.

The frozen patties are again placed on a conveyor belt that takes them to a vacuum-packaging machine. The machine seals the patties into measured plastic sleeves and draws out any excess air. The packages are then loaded into printed cardboard boxes with the aid of another machine or done manually. The flaps on the box are then sealed closed and the product is kept in temperature-controlled storage before, during, and after delivery to grocery stores.

In October 2020, the EU rejected an amendment proposed by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development which, if passed, would have resulted in companies being forced to call veggie burgers by the term "veggie discs".[36]

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  A Burger King Veggie combo meal, including a veggie burger, from Germany
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  Vegan burger and French fries
• 
  Vegan burger
• 
  Example of vegan veggie burger
• 
  Order from a vegetarian deli: veggie burger with French fries and salad

• Volger, Lukas (2010). Veggie Burgers Every Which Day: Fresh, Flavorful and Healthy Vegan and Vegetarian Burgers - Plus Toppings, Sides, Buns and More. The Experiment. ISBN 978-1-61519-019-5.

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on

• Vegan cuisine

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Veggie burgers.

• Veggie Burger Recipes