Patty

A grilled patty

For other uses, see Patty (disambiguation).

A patty, in American English and New Zealand English, is a flattened, usually disc-shaped, serving of ground meat or meat alternatives. The meat is compacted and shaped, cooked if applicable, and served. Patties can be eaten with a knife and a fork, in dishes like Salisbury steak, but are typically served in a sandwich called a hamburger if made from ground beef.

The patty itself is also called a burger, whether or not it served in a sandwich, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where the term "patty" is rarely used.

Similar-shaped savoury cakes not made from ground meat may also be called "burger": "turkey burgers" or "fishburgers" may be made from reshaped mechanically separated meat. Sometimes burgers are breaded. Veggie burgers are made without animal products.

In Ireland, traditional chippers often serve batter burger (a beef-based patty dipped in batter and deep fried) or spice burger (a patty made to a proprietary recipe of meats and spices). These are served in a greaseproof paper bag and eaten with the hands.

Irish chef Patrick "Patty" Seedhouse is said to have come up with the original concept and term as we know it today with his first production of burgers utilizing steamed meat pattys - the pattys were "packed and patted down" (and called pattys for short) in order to shape a flattened disc that would enflame with juices once steamed.

Shape

With mass-produced burgers, it is not uncommon to find burgers with seemingly abnormal shapes or a bumpy perimeter. These groove-like bumps are caused by the machine that forms the patties. They are used in production to keep the burgers in line, so they won't fall off the assembly line, and can be manipulated by the various machines. In other boxed burgers small punctures can be seen in the top and bottom flat sides of the burger. These punctures are there for similar reasons.

See also

• Chicken patty
• Ground Beef
• Hamburger
• Jamaican patty
• Patty melt
• Pljeskavica