 Double vegan burger with tomato, lettuce and sauce | |
| Alternative names | Meatless burger |
|---|---|
| Type | Sandwich |
| Main ingredients | Vegetables,textured vegetable protein,legumes,nuts,mushrooms, or grains orseeds |
Aveggie burger ormeatless burger is ahamburger made with apatty that does not contain meat, or the patty of such a hamburger. The patty may be made from ingredients like beans (especiallysoybeans andtofu),nuts,grains, seeds, or fungi such asmushrooms ormycoprotein.
The essence of the veggie burger patty has existed in variousEurasian cuisines for millennia, including in the form of grilled or fried meatless discs, or askoftas, a commonplace item inIndian cuisine. These may be made of entirely vegetarian ingredients such aslegumes or other plant-derived proteins.
Whilst commercial brands of veggie burger are widespread, hundreds of recipes exist for veggie burgers online and in cookbooks, aimed at the home cook and based on cereal grains, nuts, seeds, breadcrumbs, beans, textured soya protein, withstarchy flours orflaxseed meal to stabilize the mix. Recipes offer a variety of flavors and textures, often containing herbs and spices and ingredients, liketamari ornutritional yeast, to increase theumami taste. Desirable characteristics includemouthfeel, aseared surface, crunch, chewiness, spiciness and resistance to crumbling. Like a meat burger, they can be pan fried, grilled, barbecued or oven cooked. Some are designed to be eaten in a toasted bun orbrioche, with similar accompaniments to a traditional meat burger, such as tomato slices, onion rings, dill pickled cucumber,mayonnaise, mustard andketchup. Others are stand-alone patties that are eaten with other vegetables,salad or adipping sauce. Home produced veggie burgers can be frozen and stored, just like commercial varieties.
Products include dried mixes to which water is added before cooking, or ready-made burgers, often found in the store chiller or freezer compartments. Some popular brands of veggie burger include theBoca Burger, theGardenburger,Morningstar Farms, andQuorn. In the 2010s, realistic meat-like burgers were developed, led by the companiesBeyond Meat andImpossible Foods.[1]
There have been numerous claims of invention of the veggie burger. The dish, by name, may have been created in London in 1982 byGregory Sams, who called it the 'VegeBurger'. Sams and his brother Craig had run a natural food restaurant inPaddington since the 1960s;[2] aCarrefourhypermarket inSouthampton sold 2000 packets in three weeks after its launch.[3] An earlier reference can be heard in the 7 June 1948 episode of the American radio drama seriesLet George Do It called "The Mister Mirch Case" where a character refers to "vegeburgers" as a burger made of nuts and legumes.
Food writer Pen Vogler considers a recipe for "benes yfryed" in the 14th century recipe bookThe Forme of Cury to be similar to a modernbroad bean burger:[4]"Take benes and seeþ hem almost til þey bersten. take and wryng out þer water clene. do þerto Oynouns ysode and ymynced. and garlec þerwith. frye hem in oile. oþer in grece. & do þerto powdour douce. & serue it forth."[5]
Using the name Gardenburger, an early veggie burger was developed by Paul Wenner around 1980 or 1981 in Wenner's vegetarian restaurant, The Gardenhouse, inGresham, Oregon.[6]
Some fast food companies have been offering vegetarian foods increasingly since the beginning of the 21st century.
InIndia where vegetarianism is widespread,McDonald's,Burger King,Wendy's andKFC serve veggie burgers.[7][8][9] In 2012, McDonald's opened its first vegetarian-only restaurant in India.[10] A popular type of burger is theVada pav, also known as the Bombay burger. It originated in or near the city ofMumbai and consists of a fritter (vada), cooked with potatoes mixed with green chilis and various spices, enclosed in a bread roll (pav).[11]
Burger King (BK) introduced a veggie burger in 2002, thefirst to be made available nationally in the U.S.[12] They have also sold veggie burgers in their Australian franchise,Hungry Jack's.[13] In 2019, BK rolled out theImpossible Whopper as a veggie burger that realistically imitates their signature beef-based Whopper hamburger.
Veggie burgers have been sold in certainSubways andHarvey's, as well as many chain restaurants, such asRed Robin,Chili's,Denny's,Friendly's, Culvers,Johnny Rockets, andHard Rock Cafe. Occasionally the veggie burger option will appear at the bottom of a menu as a possible substitution for beef or turkey burgers, rather than as an individual menu item.
Besides introducing a plant-based variant of its Whopper in the United States (called the Impossible Whopper), Burger King sells a plant-based variant of the Whopper abroad, including in Europe (called the Rebel Whopper or the Plant-Based Whopper). In Germany, Burger King has already introduced plant-based versions of every item on the menu,[14][15] using plant-based substitutes of beef and plant-based substitutes of chicken.
Different kinds of veggie burgers, including the vegetarianMcVeggie, the veganMcVegan, and theMcPlant, are also served permanently in McDonald's restaurants in:
Manufacturing often follows certain steps. One commercial recipe runs as follows.[32][33]
The grains and vegetables used in the patties are first washed and thoroughly cleaned to help ensure the removal ofdirt,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 ashigh-pressure sprayers. With the use of aconveyor 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.
Next, asteam-heated mixer is used to cook the grain and remove any extra debris and excess water. The mixer typically hasoils within it (such assafflower 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 moresurface 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 differenttextures and tastes that are produced.
As the vegetables are being cooked in the mixer, their natural sugars release, resulting incaramelization. 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 calledmirepoix. This technique is very important to the production of veggie burgers, as it adds both texture and flavor to the patty.
The mirepoix mixture is then placed into another mixing tub, where dry ingredients such asoats,walnuts,potato flakes, and more are added. The mixture is then folded together to make a uniform mix. Themoisture 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 ontobaking 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 heatedconvection oven at a designated temperature and time.
Once out of the oven, the patties are quickly frozen with techniques such asindividual quick freezing andcryogenic freezing.[34] These quick-freezing methods freeze the patties within 30 minutes to lock in nutrients and preserve texture by the formation of a number of smallice crystals.
The frozen patties are again placed on a conveyor belt that takes them to avacuum-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.
Grains are primarily used in the manufacturing of veggie burgers to act as a meat substitute. The grains, such asrice andwheat, provide carbohydrates and protein components and to provide bulk to the patty. They also provide texture to the burger, which can change depending on the type of grain used. This texture and look is important as they wish to make the patty look like a beef patty.
Vegetables, such ascorn,carrots, andmushrooms, provide texture and taste. Additionally, they provide moisture when heated.[35] This allows the disc shape without breaking apart easily. The vegetables also provide nutrients with the addition of somevitamins andminerals.[36]
Adding dry ingredients, such as oats, flours,nuts, orbreadcrumbs, can absorb excess moisture and liquid, which results in the patty sticking together tightly. This could turn the moist veggie patties into a sticky consistency, which also helps the patties shape easily.[35] Dry ingredients provideproteins andfiber, which add nutritional value to the veggie patty. Dry ingredients, such aswalnuts andalmonds, are also rich in energy, vitamins and minerals.[37]
Tapioca starch andvegetable gum are two common ingredients used asstabilizers in veggie burger. Tapioca starch is often used as athickening agent due to its cheaper price. It gets sticky once it is wet, which helps to hold the burger patty tightly together.[38] Vegetable gum also helps to hold everything together in the patty.[39]
Oils, such assafflower,coconut, andolive oil, can lubricate the grain mix, and allow further cooking processing when the wheat is added. This facilitates theMaillard reaction and brings out the flavors of the veggie burger. Oils can also prevent the ingredients from sticking to the mixing machine, thus allowing them to be mixed well and heated together.[40]
Salt is typically used for flavor, and may also be used as apreservative in veggie burgers. With the use of salt, thewater activity of the food is reduced. This helps prevent the growth of micro-organisms and prolongs the shelf life of the food.[41]
In October 2020, the EU rejected an amendment proposed by theCommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development which, if passed, would have resulted in companies being forced to call veggie burgers by the term "veggie discs".[42]
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I recently saw a recipe for a broad bean burger and realized it was almost identical to 'benes yfryed' inThe Forme of Cury: beans, seethed almost until they burst, mixed with oil, fried onion and garlic, and flavoured with 'powdour douce' - sweet spice.
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