What Is the Difference Between a Slider and a Burger?

Although burgers and sliders are very similar in construction and taste, there are a few key differences between them. Sliders can be called mini-burgers since they are smaller versions of burgers but slider has a distinguishable history behind it that makes it a unique meal.

Burgers and sliders are both created using similar ingredients such as bread, ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles, cheese, bacon, etc. Their tastes are also somewhat similar although most burgers usually contain a more complex flavor than sliders.

Sliders were popularized by White Castle in the 1920s and since then sliders have become a common fast-food dish in America and elsewhere in the world. 

What Does a Slider Mean?

There are debates among even scholars about the origin of the term ‘Slider’. Many correlate Slider’s origin with White Castle and they claim that the term slider came from the fact that they would be slid over to the customers on the countertop. The scholars who claim this to be the real origin story think that sliders originated in the 1920s.

Another school of thought is that sliders originated during World War two when soldiers preferred to have smaller burgers that they could slide in their mouths before heading to the battlefield or in between fighting.

No matter the origin, sliders, in very simplistic terms are mini-burgers that contain less meat, cheese, and other ingredients than burgers.

What Does a Burger Mean?

Burger has very ancient origins. Some versions of burgers existed long before the use of the term ‘burger’ to denote them. Burgers are defined to be a combination of bread, meat, and other ingredients and these dishes have been around for thousands of years.

Many, however, claim that the term came from a place called Hamburg in Germany. Hamburg changed into Hamburger and then simply to Burger.

Slider vs. Burger: Major Differences Between Them

The key differences between sliders and burgers are discussed below in the context of taste, history, and cooking methods.

Taste Difference

Burgers usually contain a lot of ingredients besides the beef patty such as cheese, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, pickles, onions, and so on. Sliders on the other hand are mostly very simple with fewer ingredients. Most sliders only contain three to four ingredients between the buns such as cheese, onions, sauces, and so on.

This is why you can taste the meat better in sliders than you can in burgers. Burgers have a more complex taste than sliders which have a much simpler taste to them.

Historical Difference

Historically, burgers were invented before sliders. Slider’s origin can be traced as early as the 1920s but burger has been around for thousands of years, even before written history.

Some claim that the first burger was made by Charlie Nagreen in 1885 when he sold meatballs between two slices of bread at a fair but if we consider burgers to be some sort of combination of bread and meat then dishes similar to the burger existed for a long time before. 

Differences in Cooking Method

Burgers take longer time to cook as they contain a lot more meat than sliders. Sliders take a shorter time to cook than burgers and they can be assembled very quickly. This is why you will get served sliders very quickly upon ordering while some restaurants can take more than 15 minutes to prepare your burger.

Conclusion

Even with some differences, burgers, and sliders both enjoy great popularity among fast-food lovers all around the world. Burgers are vastly more popular than sliders but sliders have slowly become an indispensable part of the fast-food culture.