In Secrets of the Fast Food Giants, Alexis Conran reveals the history and methods behind some of the world's most popular fast food dishes and franchises. In this weeks episode, the first of the second series, he was on a mission to understand more about the humble burger.
As part of his journey, Alexis travelled to the headquarters of successful chain, Honest Burgers, to see how their burgers are prepared. Instead of being ground, quality beef is chopped in an enormous machine. This helps give the burger a better taste and texture.
When questioned on why the beef used so high in fat, Alexis was told "fat is flavour". All burgers are made centrally and distributed to chains across the country, but it is only at the restaurants where the burgers are seasoned as to keep the meat as moist as possible. This is because salt draws out moisture and applying too early can result in a dry burger.
Read more: The Notts town where fast food giants McDonald's and KFC flopped but coffee shops and cafes rule
However, it wasn't the production methods which floored viewers of the Channel 5 show, it was the sheer amount of burgers we eat in the UK and the dish's unlikely origins. According to the documentary, the British fast food industry is worth 15 billion pounds annually, not only that but in a year the UK consumes an incredible 2.5 billion beef burgers.
That roughly means the average person eats 37 burgers per year. A study of 2,000 adults also found 83 percent of those who eat meat and fish couldn't 'live' without them.
Although these figures pale in comparison with the United States, where the average American consumes 154 burgers annually or around three every week.
Alexis also alluded to the theory that burgers may have been invented by the Romans in the 4th century. It's not entirely clear how someone can invent putting meat between two pieces of bread, but some historians claim it to be true nonetheless.
This because a recipe from the ancient Roman cookbook, Apicius, details a dish called 'Isicia Omentata' made of minced meat, pepper, wine, pine nuts and a rich fish-based sauce called Garum, all formed into a burger without bread.
