A veggie burger is a hamburger patty that does not contain meat. It may be made from ingredients like beans, especially soybeans and tofu, nuts, grains, seeds or fungi such as mushrooms or mycoprotein. The patties that are the essence of a veggie burger have existed in various Eurasian cuisines for millennia, including in the form of disc-shaped grilled or fried meatballs or as koftas, a commonplace item in Indian cuisine. These may contain meats or be made of entirely vegetarian ingredients such as legumes or other plant-derived proteins. Origin There have been numerous claims of invention of the veggie burger. The dish, by name, may have been created in London in 1982 by Gregory Sams, who called it the 'VegeBurger'. Sams and his brother Craig had run a natural food restaurant in Paddington since the 1960s; a Carrefour hypermarket in Southampton sold 2000 packets in three weeks after its launch. An earlier reference can be heard in the 7 June 1948 episode of the American radio drama series Let George Do It called "The Mister Mirch Case" where a character refers to "vegeburgers" as a burger made of nuts and legumes. Using the name Gardenburger, an early veggie burger was developed by Paul Wenner around 1980 or 1981 in Wenner's vegetarian restaurant, The Gardenhouse, in Gresham, Oregon. Restaurants Some fast food companies have been offering vegetarian foods increasingly since the beginning of the 21st century. India In India where vegetarianism is widespread, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and KFC serve veggie burgers. In 2012, McDonald's opened its first vegetarian-only restaurant in India. United States Burger King introduced a veggie burger in 2002, the first to be made available nationally in the U.S. They have also sold veggie burgers in their Australian franchise, Hungry Jack's. Veggie burgers have been sold in certain Subways and Harvey's, as well as many chain restaurants, such as Red Robin, Chili's, Denny's, Friendly's, Culvers, Johnny Rockets, and Hard Rock Cafe. Occasionally the veggie burger option will appear at the bottom of a menu as a possible substitution for beef or turkey burgers, rather than as an individual menu item. McDonald's Different kinds of veggie burgers, including the vegetarian McVeggie and the vegan McVegan, are also served permanently in McDonald's restaurants in: India (McVeggie, consisting of a fried, breaded patty of ground vegetables, with lettuce and ketchup, in a wholewheat, sesame or focaccia bun) Bahrain Cheung Chau,