Cheeseburger

A beef patty with a slice of cheese melted over it in the last minute of cooking, served in a soft bun with pickle, onion and a sauce: the cheeseburger is the hamburger's more popular child, and it is judged on one extra thing, the cheese, which should be melted into the meat, not sitting on it. Several American restaurants claim the first one in the 1920s and 1930s, with Pasadena, Louisville and Denver in the running, and none has a decisive record; the name was trademarked in Denver in 1935, which settles nothing about who cooked it. The cheese that made the form was processed American, chosen because it melts evenly without splitting, and it remains the default in diners and the smash-burger revival. Cheddar, Swiss and blue cheese are variations, and the plural, the double and triple cheeseburger, is the standard order in fast-food chains.