A veggie burger or meatless burger is a hamburger made with a patty that does not contain meat, or the patty of such a hamburger. The patty may be made from ingredients like beans (especially and tofu), nuts, grains, seeds, or fungi such as Edible mushroom or mycoprotein.
The essence of the veggie burger patty has existed in various Eurasian cuisines for millennia, including in the form of grilled or fried meatless discs, or as , a commonplace item in Indian cuisine. These may be made of entirely vegetarian ingredients such as or other plant-derived proteins.
Preparation
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, with
flours or
flaxseed meal to stabilize the mix. Recipes offer a variety of flavors and textures, often containing herbs and spices and ingredients, like tamari or nutritional yeast, to increase the
umami taste. Desirable characteristics include
mouthfeel, a
searing 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 or
brioche, with similar accompaniments to a traditional meat burger, such as tomato slices, onion rings, dill pickled cucumber,
mayonnaise, mustard and
ketchup. Others are stand-alone patties that are eaten with other vegetables,
salad or a
dipping sauce. Home produced veggie burgers can be frozen and stored, just like commercial varieties.
Commercial brands
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 the
Boca Burger, the
Gardenburger, Morningstar Farms, and
Quorn. In the 2010s, realistic meat-like burgers were developed, led by the companies
Beyond Meat and
Impossible Foods.
Origin
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;
a
Carrefour hypermarket in
Southampton sold 2000 packets in three weeks after its launch.
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.
Food writer Pen Vogler considers a recipe for "benes yfryed" in the 14th century recipe book The Forme of Cury to be similar to a modern broad bean burger:
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.
Restaurants
Some fast food companies have been offering vegetarian foods increasingly since the beginning of the 21st century.
India
In
India where vegetarianism is widespread, McDonald's,
Burger King, Wendy's and
KFC serve veggie burgers.
[ McDonald's new TVC pushes McChicken, McVeggie productsIndiantelevision.com ] In 2012, McDonald's opened its first vegetarian-only restaurant in India.
A popular type of burger is the
Vada pav, also known as the Bombay burger. It originated in or near the city of
Mumbai and consists of a fritter (vada), cooked with potatoes mixed with green chilis and various spices, enclosed in a bread roll (pav).
United States
Burger King (BK) introduced a veggie burger in 2002, the
first to be made available nationally in the U.S.
They have also sold veggie burgers in their Australian franchise, Hungry Jack's.
In 2019, BK rolled out the Impossible Whopper as a veggie burger that realistically imitates their signature beef-based Whopper hamburger.
Veggie burgers have been sold in certain Subways and Harvey's, as well as many chain restaurants, such as Red Robin, Chili's, Denny's, Friendly's, Culvers, Johnny Rockets, and Hard 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.
McDonald's
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
-
Cheung Chau, Hong Kong (McVeggie, in Cheung Chau Bun Festival)
-
Egypt (McFalafel, consisting of a falafel patty with tomato, lettuce and tahini sauce)
-
Finland (McVegan)
-
Germany since February 2010, McDonald's Germany, its fourth-biggest global market, is serving veggie burgers in all its restaurants.
-
Greece (McVeggie, consisting of a breaded and fried vegetable patty with tomato, iceberg lettuce and ketchup, in a sesame bun)
-
Malaysia
-
The Netherlands (Groentenburger=Vegetable Burger)
-
Portugal (McVeggie, since November 2016)
-
New Zealand (McVeggie, since December 2019)
-
Sweden (McVegan)
-
Switzerland (Vegi Mac)
-
United Arab Emirates
-
United Kingdom (McPlant)
Manufacturing process
Manufacturing often follows certain steps. One commercial recipe runs as follows.
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 Sprayer. 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.
Next, a Food steamer is used to cook the grain and remove any extra debris and excess water. The mixer typically has Cooking oil within it (such as Safflower). 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 Mouthfeel 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.
The mirepoix mixture is then placed into another mixing tub, where dry ingredients such as , , 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 Sheet pan.
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 Cryopreservation.
The frozen patties are again placed on a conveyor belt that takes them to a Vacuum packing 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.
Purpose of ingredients
Grains
Grains are primarily used in the manufacturing of veggie burgers to act as a meat substitute. The grains, such as
rice and
wheat, 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
Vegetables, such as
Maize,
, and
Edible mushroom, provide texture and taste. Additionally, they provide moisture when heated.
This allows the disc shape without breaking apart easily. The vegetables also provide nutrients with the addition of some
and
.
Dry ingredients
Adding dry ingredients, such as oats, flours, nuts, or
Bread crumbs, 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.
Dry ingredients provide
and
Dietary fiber, which add nutritional value to the veggie patty. Dry ingredients, such as
and
, are also rich in energy, vitamins and minerals.
Stabilizers
Tapioca and
Natural gum are two common ingredients used as
Food additive in veggie burger. Tapioca starch is often used as a
thickening agent due to its cheaper price. It gets sticky once it is wet, which helps to hold the burger patty tightly together.
Vegetable gum also helps to hold everything together in the patty.
Oils
, such as
safflower,
coconut, and
olive oil, can lubricate the grain mix, and allow further cooking processing when the wheat is added. This facilitates the Maillard 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.
Salt
Sodium chloride is typically used for flavor, and may also be used as a
preservative in veggie burgers. With the use of salt, the
water activity of the food is reduced. This helps prevent the growth of micro-organisms and prolongs the shelf life of the food.
Naming
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".
Gallery
File:Veggie burger burger king flickr user moe creative commons.jpg|A Burger King Veggie combo meal, including a veggie burger, from Germany
Vegan burger and chips (3883204113).jpg|Vegan burger and French fries
File:Priest Station 2.jpg|Vegan burger
File:Beyond Meat.jpg|A Beyond Meat vegan burger
File:VeggieBurgerKopfeckMunich.jpg|Order from a vegetarian Delicatessen: veggie burger with French fries and salad
File:Veggie burger made from chickpeas oats rye flour carrot onion garlic spices an egg to bind ingredients.jpg|Mostly-veggie burger with the addition of one egg to better bind ingredients together
See also
Further reading
External links
