 Patty melt with French fries and garnishes | |
| Type | Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Rye bread, hamburger patty, grilled onions, American cheese |
| Variations | Sourdough bread, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, Gruyère cheese, Thousand Island dressing, sautéed mushrooms |
A patty melt is a sandwich consisting of a ground beef patty with melted cheese (traditionally Swiss Cheese) and topped with caramelized onions between two slices of griddled bread (traditionally rye or marbled rye, though sourdough or Texas toast are sometimes substituted in some regions, including the Southern U.S.). The patty melt is a variant of the traditional American cheeseburger, essentially converting it into a sandwich, serving it on sliced bread instead of a bun.[1]
It is unclear when the patty melt was invented, but it was most likely the mid-20th century, either during the Great Depression or the postwar economic boom. Several culinary writers have suggested that Los Angeles restaurateur Tiny Naylor may have invented the patty melt sometime between 1930 and 1959, depending on the source.[2][3][4][5] Even if Naylor did not invent the sandwich, it is agreed that he and his family helped popularize the sandwich in their respective restaurants, which included Tiny Naylor's, Du-par's, and Wolfgang Puck's Granita, over the past half-century or more.[6]
