Today is National Veggie Burger Day, and before any of you turn your noses up and say yuck, I suggest you actually try them. As an alternative to ones made from meat, often cheap fatty meat, they are a healthy alternative to the body and to the planet, as well as being very tasty.

The beginning of the veggie burger is not really known but it wasn't that long ago. It was an alternative to meat, and when the food gurus, vegetarians and environmental activists got involved the veggie burger was born.

They started out in people's homes, with the first recipe appearing in the mid-20th century. One early reference to them was on a radio show in 1948, and the burgers were made of nuts and legumes.

Eventually, they made their way into restaurants and the first restaurant to serve them was in Oregon in 1980 in a Vegetarian Restaurant in 1980. The next appears to be in Paddington London in 1982 in an ordinary Restaurant and was called “The VegeBurger”.

Hamburger is invented

With vague origins, the patty of ground meat is created in the US and grows in popularity over the next two centuries.

1908

The International Vegetarian Union is created

This union of national vegetarian societies aims to bring unity to normalising the vegetarian diet.

1969

Recipes for “no meat burgers” emerge

Perhaps for economic or health reasons, the idea for making meatless burgers at home is put into print.

1980

First Veggie Burger is served in a restaurant

Under the name of Garden Burger, the first veggie burger is served by Wenner’s vegetarian restaurant, named The Gardenhouse, in Gresham, Oregon.

2002

Burger King debuts the Veggie Burger

Ahead of its time, Burger King became the first fast food chain to offer veggie burgers throughout the United States.

To celebrate today, go to a vegetarian restaurant and find out exactly what their food is like, some of it is very nice.  Or make a veggie burger at home and try it.

There are loads of recipes online for these burgers, so give them a go!

Making veggie burgers might be a bit easier with a food processor, but it isn’t necessary as the ingredients can also be mashed together. Some of the most typical ingredients for veggie burgers might include chickpeas, black beans, soybeans, brown rice, feta cheese, oat bran, oat flour, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, onion, egg, garlic, black-eyed peas, and various other options.

When making veggie burgers, the key is getting the ingredients to stick together in a patty so they can be grilled or fried. This can be done by using an ingredient that works as a glue, such as ketchup, barbecue sauce, egg or tomato paste.

Veggie burgers can  be made better by chopping the vegetables and roasting them before  making them into patties. This will help to remove some of the moisture and make them stick together better.

So give it a go and see how you get on and what you think of them. Not all veggie food is rabbit food, or soya. It is very nice and good for you and the planet.

So, today, post all things veggie-related and let's enjoy these tasty burgers!