The Classic Breakfast Food Considered To Be The First Burger Topping

Americans have been enjoying hamburgers for more than 140 years, but not always in the way many enjoy them today. Today's burger includes toppings like cheese, pickles, condiments, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce, but have you ever wondered what the very first burger topping was? 

White Castle, the first hamburger chain in the world, claims the man who created the first hamburger in 1891 also added the very first topping to it: A fried egg. His name was Otto Kuase, and his burger recipe which originated in Hamburg, Germany, arrived in the United States, courtesy of German sailors, shortly afterward. However, the standard American version of the burger excluded the fried egg. That is until Americans later added it back as one of the many topping options.

Since then, fried eggs as burger toppings have become a must for many foodies (but not for all), thanks, in part, to the many restaurants that offer it.

Today, you can order a juicy hamburger with a fried egg slapped on top from dozens of restaurant chains in the U.S., including Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Applebee's, and Red Robin. And of course, you make your own burger with a fried egg on top from scratch at home. Over easy, over medium, sunny side up, and even cooking the egg directly into the patty are some of the options.

If you prefer a thicker, fluffier egg in your burger, you can scramble the eggs instead. This option allows you to mix various ingredients like onions and tomatoes in the egg batter, instead of in the burger. Or, you can do both for an even thicker burger!

Although adding an egg to a burger obviously adds more protein to an already high-protein meal and is a welcomed addition for many burger lovers, not everyone is a fan. A Reddit user on u/unpopularopinion shared their thoughts on Reddit with a "Fried eggs on burgers is absolutely disgusting" headline. Most disagreed with the poster though — we see why it was on unpopular opinion. Fried egg for the win!