A Luther Burger, or doughnut burger (among several naming variations), is a

hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...

cheeseburger A cheeseburger is a hamburger with one or more slices of melted cheese on top of the meat patty, added near the end of the cooking time. Cheeseburgers can include variations in structure, ingredients and composition. As with other hamburgers, ...

with one or more glazed

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...

s in place of the bun. These burgers have a disputed origin, and tend to run between approximately .

Origins

According to legend, the burger was named for and was a favorite (and possible invention) of singer, songwriter and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

. This origin is mentioned in a January 2006 episode of animated series ''

The Boondocks Boondocks are remote, usually brushy areas. Boondocks may also refer to: * The Boondocks (comic strip), ''The Boondocks'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Aaron McGruder ** The Boondocks (TV series), ''The Boondocks'' (TV series), the television s ...

'', " The Itis", in which the character Robert Freeman creates a restaurant which serves the burger. Mulligan's, a suburban bar in

Decatur, Georgia Decatur () is a city and the county seat of DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, th ...

, serves the Luther Burger in addition to its hamdog. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' reported that Mulligan's may be progenitor of the burger when the owner substituted the doughnuts when running out of buns.

Products

In the United States

The Gateway Grizzlies baseball team of Sauget, Illinois have served the Luther Burger at their

ballpark A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...

. Their version consists of a

Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain. Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans ch ...

doughnut around a black Angus patty, melted cheese, and two strips of bacon. Dubbed a "cardiologist's worst nightmare" by

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

, this burger is . Aside from bringing in revenue from sales, it has drawn more fans to come out to the ballpark: apparently, attendance at games has increased and the burger is one of the most popular aspects of the park. The burger has met with criticism from burger purists and from people who are turned off by the thought of the taste and the health implications. In

Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to four other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Queens, Long Island C ...

, a Lebanese burger restaurant began selling a

halal ''Halal'' (; ) is an Arabic word that translates to in English. Although the term ''halal'' is often associated with Islamic dietary laws, particularly meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, it also governs ethical practices ...

-compliant version of the Luther Burger (a Crave Doughnut Burger) with

turkey bacon Turkey bacon is a meat prepared from chopped, formed, cured, and smoked turkey, commonly marketed as a low-fat alternative to pork bacon; it may also be used as a substitute for bacon where religious dietary laws (for example halal in Islam an ...

in 2010. The restaurateur added the burger to the menu after a friend experienced one while traveling through the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. Restaurant owner Firas Zabib has said he sells 10–20 of the burgers per day, and that his was the first shop in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to sell them. Doughnut burger

Around the United States, copies and variations of the Luther Burger have appeared at

state fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

s. The 2010 Wisconsin State Fair variation held a Angus beef burger, topped with Wisconsin cheddar cheese and two strips of chocolate-covered bacon, on a toasted Krispy Kreme doughnut bun. The burger sold for and equaled 1,000 Calories. Erika Celeste, for NPR's ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'' detailed a "doughnut burger" sold at the 2010 Indiana State Fair when discussing the imaginative and caloric "arms race" at state fairgrounds to devise new "wackier" menu items: " fresh patty of beef and melted cheese sandwiched between two glazed doughnuts". The Indiana vendor explained his impetus to sell the burger after seeing Paula Deen " oit on TV". The burger was described as having a salty-sweet taste, and surprisingly ungreasy. The "Krispy Kreme Doughnut Burger" as served at the 2010 Mississippi State Fair was garnished with "lettuce, tomato and a generous slice of raw onion", and was estimated to provide . The

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and Tulsa State Fairs also served up Luther Burger variants in 2010.

Outside the US

Epic Burgers and Waffles (EBW) introduced their doughnut cheeseburger to the 2011

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual fair that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Labour Day (Canada), ...

; they were inspired after seeing it at fairs in the

and noting its popularity at the

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, fair, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year a ...

the month before. EBW's version cost (or to add bacon and a fried egg), and contained . During the Jewish festival of

Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...

, Jews traditionally indulge in eating oily and fried foods—such as the

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i jelly doughnut ()—in connection to the

miracle of the cruse of oil Miracle of the cruse of oil (), or the Miracle of Hanukkah, is an Aggadah depicted in the Babylonian Talmud as one of the reasons for Hanukkah. In the story, the miracle occurred after the liberation of the Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean ...

. In 2016, Burger King Israel introduced the ''SufganiKing'' (): a Whopper with two in place of the bun. The ''SufganiKing'' was available during Hanukkah 2016 (December 25, 2016 – January 1, 2017), and cost (). Burger King Israel's

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, Steve Ben Shimol, said of the ''SufganiKing'', "This matching of two popular Israeli food items was inevitable for us. We’re proud to be able to end 2016 on a creative, festive note." ''

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' (ToI) is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012 and has since become the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source by audience size. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist Dav ...

'' reported on Burger King Israel employees who had eaten the ''SufganiKing'' and called it "delicious".

References

{{Bacon American sandwiches bacon dishes hamburgers (food) Hanukkah foods

Origins

Products

In the United States

Outside the US

See also

References