America’s Regional Cheeseburger Types [MAP]

Even though they had been really invented by the traditional Romans, burgers — with or with out cheese — are an American phenomenon. In actual fact, upwards of fifty billion are consumed on U.S. soil yearly. However with such widespread admiration for the fast-food staple, there’s certain to be some deviation from the usual mannequin.

Because it seems, there’s a burger type from nearly each area within the U.S. that riffs on the basic bun-patty-cheese-LTO (lettuce, tomato, onion) recipe. Whereas some kinds make use of easy modifications — take California’s addition of avocado — others, like Georgia’s glazed-donut-encased Luther burger, take their methods and toppings to extra unconventional territory.

Take a look at our map under for VinePair’s complete information to 22 of America’s regional burger kinds.

Butter Burger

In Wisconsin, extra means extra. And on this case, meaning extra butter. This burger is ready with butter baked into the bun, slathered on it, or packed into the burger meat itself and piled with no matter toppings one’s coronary heart needs. Whereas primarily present in its dwelling state, you’ll additionally discover this dairy bomb served in 26 states at beloved Midwestern chain Culver’s (which was additionally born in Wisconsin).

California Burger

California produces over 200 million kilos of avocados annually, so it’s no shock that the comfortable, inexperienced fruit made its manner onto the state’s staple burger. Typically becoming a member of avocado (in some instances, guacamole) between the buns are toppings like lettuce, tomato, cheese, and bacon.

Carolina Burger

Originating in North Carolina, this burger features a entire barbecue unfold inside its bun, the place you’ll discover a cheese-coated patty, chili, yellow mustard, and coleslaw.

Deep-Fried Burger

For a lunch that may ship you to the sofa for a nap sooner than you’ll be able to say “grease,” attempt Tennessee’s deep-fried rendition hailing from Dyer’s in Memphis. Its beef patty is deep-fried in beef tallow, which supplies the meat a crispy outer layer and juicy center, earlier than it’s topped with cheese, sliced white onions, pickles, and yellow mustard.

Fried Onion Burger

Allegedly created in the course of the Nice Melancholy on the Hamburger Inn in Ardmore, Okla., the fried onion burger — or the onion burger, for brief — was initially a method of saving cash. Money was briefly provide again then, so with a purpose to make his hamburger meat final a bit longer, restaurant proprietor Ross Davis smashed onions into burger patties whereas nonetheless on the griddle to provide clients extra bang for his or her buck. The burger is served the identical strategy to today.

Frita Cubana

Initially from Cuba, the Frita Cubana made its strategy to Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood by the Nineteen Sixties, and it stays in style immediately. The type features a skinny patty, ketchup, diced white onions, and fritas cubanas (a.ok.a. thin-sliced, crispy potato strings).

Inexperienced Chile Cheeseburger

The New Mexican inexperienced chile cheeseburger is rumored to have been created for the physicists engaged on the Manhattan Venture. The story goes that the scientists would present up at San Antonio, N.M.’s Owl Bar and Café every night time and order their cheeseburgers with a facet of inexperienced chile sauce, an integral a part of the state’s delicacies. One night time, there have been no clear ramekins to serve the sauce in, so it was added on to the burger bun as an alternative. The inexperienced chile burger was born, and immediately, it’s served mainly the identical manner: with a serving to of the spicy sauce atop an LTO-stacked patty.

Guber Burger

For peanut butter followers, look no additional than the guber (or goober) burger. Native to Missouri, the burger finishes cooking beneath a heaping scoop of peanut butter, which melts towards the bun earlier than customary toppings are added. It’s weird, however who’re we to guage?

Juicy Lucy

If you happen to choose your burgers filled with cheese, you’ll really feel proper at dwelling in Minnesota. The Juicy Lucy’s title allegedly comes from a buyer at Minneapolis’s Matt’s Bar & Grill. He requested a burger with two patties and a slice of cheese within the center, and upon his first chunk, he exclaimed, “That’s one juicy Lucy.” The title caught and the type has since caught on exterior state traces, with eating places all throughout the nation serving up stuffed cheeseburgers piled excessive with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles.

Luther Burger

Often known as the donut burger, Georgia’s beloved Luther sees the usual bacon cheeseburger smashed between two glazed donuts. The sweet-and-salty sandwich was allegedly created by late American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, who’s stated to have repurposed donuts as makeshift buns when he ran out of bread.

Unfastened Meat Sandwich

If the phrase “unfastened meat sandwich” units you on edge, maybe you’ll acknowledge this burger variation by its alternate title: the tavern sandwich. As a substitute of a patty, this Iowan burger packs cooked floor beef inside its bun together with cheese, onions, pickles, ketchup, and tomato.

Nutburger

American Horror Story: Montana’s Nutburger. Initially from Butte, the burger features a smashed beef patty topped with — watch for it — salted peanuts and Miracle Whip. Yum?

Jersey Slider

To not be confused with the Jersey Slide (a driving maneuver that includes speedily crossing a number of lanes of site visitors sans blinker to exit a freeway), we’re speaking concerning the miniature ground-beef burger topped with dill pickles or onions and sandwiched right into a slider bun. The type was popularized by White Manna Hamburgers in Hackensack, N.J., the place the sliders are served with crinkle-cut fries and milkshakes.

Olive Burger

The Michigan-born variation is precisely what it seems like — a beef cheeseburger topped with a wierd combination of mayo and sliced inexperienced olives. Some variations skip the mayo and add the olives to the melted cheese, however both manner, the olives are important.

Pastrami Burger

Because the title suggests, the pastrami burger features a massive, fats, juicy patty topped with thinly sliced pastrami. However it doesn’t finish there: Utah’s well-known interpretation can be loaded with cheese and a heaping serving to of Thousand Island dressing.

Patty Soften

Whereas the patty soften is beloved all around the U.S., its roots will be traced again to L.A. The burger variation smothers a beef patty with melted Swiss cheese and caramelized onions earlier than it’s smashed between two slices of toasted rye bread. Some variations of the patty soften swap out the rye with Texas toast for a little bit of tacky, garlicky crunch.

Pimento Cheeseburger

Pimento cheese is scrumptious by itself, and we’re prepared to guess it’s even higher on a burger. Hottest within the Deep South, this burger is believed to have been created in Columbia, S.C., someday within the Nineteen Sixties. Along with pimento cheese, its skinny patty additionally tends to be topped with a serving to of chilis and LTO.

Poached Burger

Competing with the butter burger for Wisconsin’s sandwich crown is the poached burger, which was first created at Pete’s Hamburgers in Prairie du Chien. Its beef patty is cooked on a flat-top grill stuffed with water and onions, a step that imbues the meat with extra taste. Because the water boils, the burger cooks and poaches barely, therefore the title. The burger is completed off with onions and yellow mustard or horseradish mustard, however no cheese.

San Antonio Bean Burger

There’s so much happening between the buns of the San Antonio Bean Burger. And no, it doesn’t contain a vegetarian, bean-based patty. As a substitute, a beef patty is smothered with Cheez Whiz, refried beans, chopped white onions, and Fritos.

Slugburger

Often known as a dough burger, the slugburger is adored in its dwelling state of Mississippi. Initially created by John Weeks in 1917, the burgers are ready by stuffing the meat with thickening substances like flour, eggs, or breadcrumbs. Weeks himself referred to as the burgers Weeksburgers, however because of their low value, the nickname slugburger caught (“slug” was a slang time period for a nickel).

Steamed Cheeseburger

Allegedly created at Jack’s Lunch in Middleton, Conn., the steamed cheeseburger is made in a chrome steel tray positioned above a vat of boiling water. Because the steam rises, the patty cooks, leading to moist meat sans the everyday char. Steamed burgers are historically served on non-toasted buns with the visitor’s alternative toppings.

Theta Burger

Created on the now-shuttered City Tavern for the College of Oklahoma’s Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, the Theta burger is thought for its slathering of mayo, hickory barbecue sauce, shredded cheddar, and dill pickles.

*Picture retrieved from Lukas Gojda through inventory.adobe.com