Veggie burger

A veggie burger is a hamburger-style, or chicken-style, patty that does not contain animal flesh, but may contain animal products such as egg or milk. The patty of a veggie burger may be made from vegetables (like corn), textured vegetable protein (like soy), legumes (beans), tofu, nuts, mushrooms, or grains or seeds, like wheat and flax.

History
The veggie burger, by name, may have been created in London in 1982 by Gregory Sams, who called it the 'VegeBurger'. Gregory 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.

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.

Around the world
In places such as India where vegetarianism is widespread, McDonald's and KFC serve veggie burgers. Since February 2010, McDonald's Germany, its fourth-biggest global market, is serving veggie burgers in all its restaurants. Different kinds of veggie burgers are also served permanently in McDonald's restaurants in:
 * Bahrain
 * UAE
 * Egypt (McFalafel, consisting of a falafel patty with tomato, lettuce and tahini sauce)
 * 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)
 * Sweden (McGarden)
 * Switzerland (Vegi Mac)

The United States
In the USA as of April 2005, veggie burgers were available in Burger King restaurants and those of its franchise Hungry Jack's. As of that same time, they were also available in certain Subways and Harvey's, as well as many chain restaurants, such as Red Robin, Chili's, Denny's, Friendly's, 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.