To honor this important day, I decided to find out how Americans like their burgers. According to a survey conducted by YouGov.com in May 2020, the number one topping is cheese. Here’s a list of the top ten:

1. Cheese- 74%
2. Ketchup- 65%
3. Lettuce- 64%
4. Tomatoes- 58%
5. Onions- 57%
6. Pickles- 54%
7. Mustard- 52%
8. Bacon- 45%
9. Mayonnaise- 43%
10. Mushrooms- 23%

As a mustard fan, it surprised me that more people use ketchup on their burgers than mustard. I’m totally in the mustard camp and I just assumed that other people love it as much as I do. Spicy, brown, Dijon, you show me a mustard and I’ll like it.

I think mustard should rank higher because it has proven that it has universal and timeless appeal to humans. There is archeological evidence that mustard has been used as a seasoning for about four thousand years. It might be the first condiment ever used by humans.

Compare that to the typical American tomato-based ketchup which has only been around since Heinz started bottling it in 1878. And a tomato-based ketchup is an American thing. The word ketchup comes from an Indonesian word for soy sauce. The ketchup we eat today is nothing like the original sauce imported from Asia in the 1600s. But mustard? It is still mustard.

What was the last place topping? Thousand Island dressing which only 8% of Americans admitted to putting on their burger.

My bare minimum burger fixings include mustard, pickles, and tomatoes, but I’m a sucker for sauteed mushrooms and blue cheese when I’m feeling fancy. I’m curious, what toppings do you use on your hamburger?

If you’d like to see this survey, click here.