Christmas is over and the year is almost over. Suddenly, I (the author) have unfinished business in 2015. That is, do hamburgers from chain restaurants taste different? I am going to check it out.

The ingredients used are almost the same, but is there a difference in taste?
The ingredients used are almost the same, but is there a difference in taste?

When Burger King was running its Big Square Discount campaign the other day, it occurred to me. In the first place, are there any obvious differences in taste between hamburgers from chain restaurants ? I thought, "What's the point? I mean, the ingredients used are usually the same, right? If that is the case, wouldn't they end up tasting similar?

By the way, there is a staff member in the En-Eoku Editing Department named "Y" who survived his school days with only a McDonald's hamburger (about 60 yen at the time) and water. So this time, we would like to ask her, who has a deep knowledge of hamburgers, to try the " Kiki-Kiki" hamburger.


What is a "Kiki" hamburger?

In order to see if there is a difference in taste among hamburgers from different chain restaurants, the participants compare hamburgers while blindfolded and try to guess which restaurant's product is which.


What? Tasty hamburger? I can afford it (laughs)."
What? Tasty hamburger? I can afford it (laughs)."

Procured hamburgers from four major chains

The most basic so-called "hamburger" was procured from among the major hamburger chains. The four companies that we decided (on our own) to participate in this project are Burger King, Lotteria, McDonald's, and Mos Burger.

I got hamburgers from four different companies.
I got hamburgers from four different companies.

The burgers purchased were as follows.

Burger King "hamburger" 200 yen (tax included, same as below)

The black bass of the hamburger world, a kind of big shot.
The black bass of the hamburger world, a kind of big shot.

Lotteria "Lotteria Hamburger (Umamiito)" 150 yen

The mayo sticking out is a charm.
The mayo sticking out is a charm.

McDonald's "Hamburger" 100 yen

The Simple!
The Simple!

Mos Burger "hamburger" 220 yen

Buns are browned more than others.
Buns are browned more than others.

In this way, the same hamburger has a surprisingly different shape and price. This is the first time I noticed this.

Only Burger King (far right) has sesame buns.
Only Burger King (far right) has sesame buns.

Blindfolded Eating

Let's try the Kiki hamburger right away. When I tried to give him information on the ingredients of each burger as a hint, he kicked me out saying, "I don't need it. He said, "Trust your own tongue and memory. He is very confident, isn't he? Now, let's blindfold them and have them eat the food in turn.

(unifying spirit)
(unifying spirit)

Below is the taste of each hamburger along with staff Y's comments.

No. 1 (Answer: Burger King)

The aroma of the charbroiled meat is amazing. The patty has a meaty texture, like a hamburger that lets you taste the meat. The bun is also chewy.

Meat! It's like that."
Meat! It's like that."

The meat is very assertive. The coarsely grounded meat grains remain in your mouth. This foreignness is Burger King."

Correct.
Correct.

Number 2 ( Answer: Lotteria)

Ah yes, yes, it' s delicious. The bread is fluffy, it feels good in the mouth. The sauce is mildly sweet and a bit complex. The bun, patty, and sauce as a whole are in perfect harmony."

I love this!"
I love this!"

The deliciousness of the bread, the perfect mingling of sweet and rich sauce and mayo... this is Mos."

I promptly had a hash (the correct answer is Loteria).
I promptly had a hash (the correct answer is Loteria).

No. 3 ( Answer: McDonald 's)

I know this taste well! It's Mac."

Yeah!
Yeah!

The moist bun, the familiar sauce and pickle flavor, the crunchy onions, everything is nostalgic. The buns and patties are soft and meld together in the mouth. This junky feeling of 'this is it,' makes me feel at ease."

Correct.
Correct.

No. 4 ( Answer: Mos Burger)

The only one left is, in other words, Lotteria.

Boo-boo!
Boo-boo!

It's heavy! The whole thing is thick and chewy. The buns are especially fluffy, chewy, and delicious. The sweet ketchup dominates your taste buds with a thick flavor, almost like a chuno sauce. This is the first time I've had a hamburger from Lotteria (← not the same), but I think this sauce is addictive. The patty is so melt-in-your-mouth that it just disappears."

The correct answer is Mos Burger, not Lotteria.
The correct answer is Mos Burger, not Lotteria.

I won two games and lost two.

We were so determined to guess, but ended up with a very middling result of two wins and two losses. According to Staff Y's excuse that he originally liked Mos, the reason he mistook Lotteria for Mos was because both had good buns (which he liked), and they had a similar overall balanced taste. Oh yeah.

here and there
here and there

here and there
here and there

Really? Is this really mos~?"
Really? Is this really mos~?"

After this, the author also compared the food, and was surprised to find that all four were completely different in appearance as well as content. The taste and amount of sauce, the thickness of the buns and patties, the presence or absence of pickles (BK and Mac were included), and so on. So even the same hamburger has its own individuality.

In other words, the characteristics of the four companies' burgers can be summarized as follows

Burger King -] strong assertion of charcoal-grilled patty (meat)
Lotteria→Fluffy buns, rich sauce
McDonald's → strong taste of ketchup and pickles
Moss -] Strong ketchup taste like chuno sauce

Each burger had its own identity.
Each burger had its own identity.

Another thing I found is that when I close my eyes and eat things, my sense of taste is more vivid than usual. It even feels like the specs that had been asleep have been awakened. I can shut out unnecessary information and concentrate solely on my sense of taste, so I guess it sharpens them.

At any rate, I am glad that I was able to digest the things I left undone this year. By the way, the favorite among all the food we had this time was Lotteria for staff Y (who mistook it for Mos) and Burger King for the author. I am sure everyone's tastes are different.

If you have nothing to do during the year-end and New Year's holidays, please try Kiki Hamburger. There are quite a lot of differences and it's fun. It costs only 670 yen for four burgers.


Kiki Hamburger, you should try it!
Kiki Hamburger, you should try it!