The Greatest Hits of American Fast Food: Food + Cooking : gourmet.com

Food + Cooking

Published in Gourmet Live 06.20.12

Gourmet Live’s Kelly Senyei counts down the 10 dishes that have fueled America’s love affair with in-an-instant eats

It’s commonly said that the fast-food industry feeds 25% of Americans daily. In 2011, the fast-food sector in America generated more than $190 billion in revenue, and 2012 estimates show no signs of slowing. That’s a whole lot of eating. We’re counting down the top 10 tastiest dishes that keep diners coming back for more.

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1. McDonald’s Big Mac No other food epitomizes fast food like the McDonald’s Big Mac. It’s a burger so big, it inspired its own jingle: “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun.” Introduced nationwide in 1968, the Big Mac was the creation of Jim Delligatti, who owned and operated several McDonald’s restaurants in Pennsylvania. Forty-plus years after the invention of McDonald’s signature sandwich, the company still sells more than 550 million Big Macs a year to consumers at 33,000 locations in 119 countries. Photo: McDonald’s USA

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