El McBurger-san: The International Burger Quiz

Answer: Full House

There are essentially two forms of hamburger: The fast food restaurant type where mass-production is key, and the "home-cooked" version which tends to have more components.
The first version is not discussed here but the latter version is, as it is "custom-made" and traditionally made "with everything". Other terms include "all the way", "deluxe", "the works", "dragged through the garden", or, "all dressed". Note that in Australia and New Zealand "the Works" means something entirely different. (See below).

"All-dressed" includes lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles (sliced or relish).

When cheese is added, it becomes a Cheeseburger. Cheese is usually processed cheese slices, such as American but often cheddar, swiss, or pepper jack, the criterion being it should melt when added to the patty in the final cooking stage. In North and South Carolina "all the way" means mustard, coleslaw, chili and onions.

Answer: French fries, gravy and cheese curds

A Canadian newspaper asked The Burger's Priest (Toronto burger chain) known for its artisan cheeseburgers to make the ultimate Canadian burger. They added a patty, "Ontario bacon infused in Quebec maple syrup", a lobster claw dipped in maple syrup and extra maple syrup. Cheese was omitted. The restaurant sells the concoction on Canada Day only (July 1) for the patriotic price of $18.67.
Not sure how we will find lobster claws in Australia but we can offer poutine, made up of three core ingredients:

- French fries: Usually twice fried so that the inside is soft, and the outside is crispy.
- Cheese curds: Fresh cheese curds are used. The curd size and the amount used varies.
- Brown gravy: Traditionally a light chicken, or turkey gravy, somewhat salty and peppery. The gravy should be thick, but still thin enough to easily work its way down into the mass of fries and cheese curds.

Poutine is is a dish that originated in Quebec Canada in the 1950s It was mocked and ridiculed at first but has now been embraced in all of Canada and north-eastern USA ... and staring to be noticed in the rest of the western world.

Answer: Turkey

Protein in the Japanese diet relies heavily on seafood because you are not very far from the ocean no matter where you are in the country. Also pasture land for animals raised for meat is at a premium. Mackerel is a popular fish. Grilled eel/unagi is nothing like the traumatic experience of the jellied eels of England when I visited as a youth.
Tofu is the pressing of curds from the coagulation in soy milk, the process not unlike the making of cheese. Tofu was introduced into Japan in the eighth century from China, and there are literally over a thousand ways to prepare it.

Chicken is popular in Japan (but is not consumed in the same quantities as in the west), but turkey is quite uncommon. Popular ways to prepare chicken are Yakitori (skewers); Teriyaki, a glaze sauce made from glazed soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar; Karaage (fried chicken) and Torikatsu (fried chicken cutlet).

I will introduce two Japanese burgers: Tofu and Torikatsu both covered with a sticky teriyaki sauce.

Answer: Beef patty

In India cows are sacred so beef is off the menu. The Hindu diet does not expressly forbid other meat consumption but "ahimsa" - non-violence against all life forms including animals - is practised and most Hindus follow a vegetarian or lacto-vegetarian diet. With the Sikh religion, Sikhs can choose whether to adopt a meat diet or not but once they become Amritdhari (baptised) they are forbidden from eating Kutha (Muslim) or Halal, or Kosher meat and most choose a lacto-vegetarian food which is the food that is served in the Gurdwara (Sikh temple).

Lentils are not consumed in high quantities in the west, but dahl, a term used in the Indian subcontinent for dried, split legumes(lentils, peas, and beans) can be cooked in many ways; if I mix a red lentil dahl with chickpea flour, I will get a nice firm patty, and served with a subtle but fiery curry sauce of madras curry cut with some cooling yogurt, this should make a fine burger (rotis or chapatis to replace the bun will be optional).

Answer: Currywurst

Currywurst was the invention of Herta Heuwer. In 1949 after obtaining ketchup and curry powder from British solders stationed in Berlin, she sold her concoction on a street stand in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. She was soon selling 10 000 portions per week.

It did not take long for the dish to spread to other street stalls and then to other cities. Whilst it is popular all over Germany it is most popular in Berlin and Hamburg. Traditionally every Berlin Mayoral candidate is photographed at a currywurst stand. Often served with french fries or a small bread roll, it would make a fine burger with sauerkraut added, an extra dollop of curried ketchup, all within a warmed milk bun with french fries on the side for (ironic) traditionality.

Answer: Yes

The origins of veal or chicken Parmigiana are controversial. "Parmigiana" means form Parma, a city in the north of Italy but the dish probably started as eggplant-based. Eggplants are grown in the south but not the north around Parma. However the meat based dish was not known in either the north or south of Italy.

It is likely an American -Italian immigrant adaptation of the eggplant dish. Either correctly on not veal Parmigiana would be instantly recognised as Italian and should make for a fine burger when slipped between sliced toasted ciabatta bread .

Answer: Mint

Mexican native foods include such items as corn, beans, squash, avocados, tomatoes, turkey, cacao, vanilla, agave, sweet potato, and chili pepper. When the Europeans arrived they brought domesticated animals for meat such as beef, pork, chicken, goat, and sheep, dairy products (such as cheese and milk), and rice.
My Mexican burger will be a chile con carne patty, guacamole, tomato, jalapenos, hot chili sauce with a side of beans and and dirty rice. You could consider replacing the bun with a taco but that would make it more like an unfolded taco or an overstuffed quesadilla.

Answer: A fried egg

In a country where the national dish is a toss-up between a pork pie and a chicken tikka masala, the UK does not have a strong burger identity, Borrowing from the classic Aussie Bacon and Egg Burger we can trick up the minimalist bacon butty and make a truly British burger: Let's swap the buttered bread for a hamburger roll. the bacon is already there, need to add an egg cooked on both sides (Over hard in Americanese) and then the piece de resistance: HP sauce.

This brown sauce holds a staggering 74% of the British market for brown sauce.

It is tomato based with vinegar and spices. Adding to the quintessential Britishness, HP is short for "Houses of Parliament".

Answer: Beetroot

Beetroot (or picked beets in Americanese) are standard fare on burgers from Australia and New Zealand along with lettuce and tomato. The sauce will always be tomato sauce (sort of like ketchup but easier to get out of the bottle) and BBQ sauce can always be substituted for tomato sauce upon request.

The origin of beetroot on burgers is not clear. Whilst burger consumption in Australia took off after WWII when so many Americans travelled through Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, beetroot on burgers was known before the war. In 1926 and 1946, the Edgell and Golden Circle canneries, respectively, opened providing cheap vegetables out of season and beetroot became a firm favorite in salads and consequently burgers. There is one unsubstantiated theory that beetroot was added to burgers as a prank for visiting American soldiers to dissuade them from eating same.
If you come to Australia and want a burger but are worried abut the beetroot simply ask for a burger without beetroot (but try it at least once).

Answer: Fried egg, bacon, pineapple, cheese

In the Antipodes the basic hamburger does not come with cheese. Common extras are egg, cheese, bacon or pineapple, or you can order hamburger with the lot and get everything in one big burger.
Ideally pineapple is grilled, bacon is soft and the egg is cooked on both sides with the yolk hard. The cheese will be added to the top of the patty in the final stages of cooking to ensure it melts.
A good Australian burger will be assembled meticulously: Patties must be bigger than the bun, cheese melted, then onions, egg next then any other extras then tomato and beetroot at the last minute to prevent sogginess (Likewise the lettuce is slipped under the patty at the last minute). A good squirt of tomato sauce to hold it all together and wrapped in grease-proof paper in such a way the paper can be peeled back to access the burger but still catch any items that might slip out. This will be the best-seller: Burger, Mate".