No, this is not an April Fool’s Day story, it is quite true that a rash of burgers has broken out in Paris and London.

It is hard to believe that, in the capital of gastronomy, the home of the baguette and the steak frites, the current ‘must-eat’ is a patty of minced beef inside the sort of squidgy bun that would surely once upon a time have had a French boulanger stripped of his nationality. And the same is happening in London.

Whether this is a serendipitous acknowledgment of the spirit of the times or just lazy copycat cooking is a matter for debate. There are very strong similarities however. Some of the best burgers in both cities are to be found not in trendy bistros but off the back of a van. Literally.

Le Camion qui Fume trundles round various quartiers in Paris and you can only catch up with it by checking its website www.lecamionquifume.com.

In London, Lucky Chip and Meatwagon have a devoted following chasing them round the city. Those in the know have been going to Joe Allen’s for years to enjoy the off-menu burger, which has been around since before Londoners knew what a good burger was. The reason why it has never been listed on the menu is lost to the culinary historian, but it would be a shame to spoil a good myth now.

Some might be puzzled by the words “good” and “burger” appearing in the same sentence. And who can blame them when there is so much garbage masquerading under the name? But a number of chefs have taken up the challenge to produce fine versions of this extreme comfort food, notably at Big Fernand and Maison Mère in Paris.

In London, the hamburger at Daniel Boulud’s eponymous bar at the Mandarin Oriental is famous. Nichola Fletcher, of Fletchers of Auchtermuchty, makes venison burgers for sale by mail order and Honest Burgers in Brixton have a strong following, as does The Admiral Codrington, Hawksmoor and Meatliquor, the permanent site of the Meatwagon chaps. Phone apps and websites will lead you to many more.

Despite there being countless versions ‘out there’, I like to make my own hamburgers. Probably not something to serve when entertaining friends, the burger may not qualify as a ‘serious’ meal, with a beginning, middle and end, but, set against the realities of modern life, it makes a perfect snack, a lunchtime sandwich, something at the end of a busy day, especially for just one or two people.

The best burger I ever made had a hidden filling of oysters, turning the hamburger into a feast, a fast and modern interpretation of the carpetbag steak, which is a juicy fillet stuffed with raw oysters and grilled.

The other burger I like to make is my ‘foie burger’, something of a hit whenever I serve it; a classic beef burger topped not with cheese but a slice of foie gras terrine, or some scooped out of a jar.

Another version is to top it with a slice of sautéed foie gras. And yet another way to combine the two ingredients is to mix the foie gras with the beef before cooking, rather as some chefs use bone marrow, to keep the mixture rich and moist.

The original burger used to be little more than a grilled beef patty, sometimes topped with cheese and a slice of tomato, even some iceberg lettuce, served in a soft bun, with a pickle, perhaps some deep fried or raw onion rings, coleslaw and some skinny fries on the side.

One of the best classic hamburgers is still to be found at the 21 Club in New York. But now, baby spinach, aged Gouda, Comté cheese, confit onions, cream cheese, smoked bacon, grilled aubergine, sun-dried tomatoes, goat’s cheese, chicken, veal, pork, tuna, salmon... the list goes on of what you might now find hidden inside a toasted bun. If it is a toasted bun at all.

Potato galette, anyone?

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