Burger King’s signature hamburger, introduced in 1957, is the Whopper.
The Whopper was created by Burger King co-founder James McLamore as a larger hamburger intended to stand out from competing fast-food products. The name was chosen to suggest something unusually large or substantial.
The original sandwich used a flame-grilled beef patty with a sesame-seed bun, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup and sliced onion. Burger King has changed specifications and offered regional versions, but the flame-grilled patty remains central to its identity.
The Whopper is not the same product as Burger King’s Big King, which was designed as a separate double-patty sandwich. It is also distinct from limited editions that add bacon, cheese or other toppings to the standard Whopper.