# Aussies: I've tried a beetroot burger. What am I missing? \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418 "2012-08-23T21:34:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/1 "2012-08-23T21:34:13Z")
I had a burger with beetroot yesterday. Meh. Maybe they used beets that weren’t pickled enough. Or maybe it was drowned out by the bacon and fried egg. It just didn’t have enough ‘oomph’. Is it supposed to be like that? (I did make a burger with beet at home once, only I used regular canned beats instead of pickled beets.) ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/2 "2012-08-23T21:44:42Z")
Did it dribble on your shirt? That’s what it’s for. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/3 "2012-08-23T21:46:53Z")
I was wearing an aloha shirt. How could I tell if it dribbled? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/4 "2012-08-23T22:01:53Z")
Aussies put **beets** on their burgers?! ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/5 "2012-08-23T23:25:55Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Aussies put **beets** on their burgers?! It’s not a real burger without beetroot on it!! It’s not raw though. If you hear an Australian mention beetroot, 95% of the time they will be talking about canned, pickled beetroot. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/6 "2012-08-23T23:58:54Z")
It has to [look like this](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TpeBIUb6RnM/T2cGWM5tU8I/AAAAAAAAALY/ZPge38WkHxg/s1600/beetroot-uses-2.jpg). Anything else just won’t work. Disclaimer: I don’t eat any burgers at all, with beetroot, egg, lamb, etc or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/7 "2012-08-24T00:05:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I had a burger with beetroot yesterday. Meh. > > Maybe they used beets that weren’t pickled enough. Or maybe it was drowned out by the bacon and fried egg. It just didn’t have enough ‘oomph’. Is it supposed to be like that? > > (I did make a burger with beet at home once, only I used regular canned beats instead of pickled beets.) I don’t use canned or pickled beetroot - for preference it would be roasted and then sliced. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/8 "2012-08-24T01:27:04Z")
I can’t stand beetroot, but it is traditionally placed in burgers here. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/9 "2012-08-24T01:32:45Z")
Just to be clear: I didn’t not like it. It just didn’t seem to add anything. On that sandwich I’d rather have had a green chile. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/10 "2012-08-24T01:37:28Z")
(One rarely sees beets served in a restaurant. Last week I ordered a fried haddock sandwich and asked for the vegetable of the day instead of fries - imagine my surprise when she brought beets! She actually apologized and said she’d take it away and bring me applesauce if I wanted, but I said, oh, what the hell, won’t kill me!.) I could see beets on a burger, if they were pickled - we eat pickles on them sometimes, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/11 "2012-08-24T01:57:29Z")
The Boston area is lousy with beets these days. The local foods renaissance means that beets, one of the things New England can produce really really well and have available cellared all winter, are becoming pretty ubiquitous in restaurants I frequent. And I love it! I love beets. I have an Aussie friend who has been living here in the states for about 4 years now. She wasn’t quite happy with either the canned beets or the pickled beets she was trying to use on hamburgers. I had her try Harvard beets and she said those are the closest to what she had on burgers at home in Sydney. Her biggest complaint now is the beets in jars here are tiny. She likes huge slices so that only one slice is needed for a burger. I’ve only seen fresh beets that big, never in cans or jars. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/12 "2012-08-24T02:42:38Z")
I’ve never had them on burgers, so I can’t respond to that. What I can say is that if you have leftover pickled beets, throw them on a salad. We have them on Chef’s Salads and they add so much that we don’t even bother to make 'em if we’re out of pickled beets. There’s some sort of play between pickled beets and hard-boiled eggs and cheese that is really, incredibly good. Oh, and the other veggies and lettuce are good, too. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/13 "2012-08-24T02:59:44Z")
I experienced the burger with beetroot a couple of times in New Zealand. The first time was on a somewhat large deluxe burger (from the Snack Shack in Te Anau, IIRC) with all manner of uncommon but justifiable toppings. Fried egg? Good; I’ve had that before. Slice of ham? Good idea. Pineapple ring (canned)? Well, since there’s ham, it should work. But then beetroot? On top of the egg and ham and pineapple and other sundry orthodox burger toppings? Why? It struck me as such a non-sequitur. For the record, the whole thing fell apart on me, so I couldn’t really evaluate the beet’s effect on the burger’s gastronomical alchemy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/14 "2012-08-24T03:06:36Z")
I like beets. I’ll eat pickled beets right out of the jar. But I agree with the OP. I’ve never seen the point of adding them to a hamburger. They don’t really seem to bring anything to the sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/15 "2012-08-24T04:22:52Z")
Beetroot in a hamburger is fine. It performs the same function as a bread-and-butter pickle does in American food (though I prefer straight dills on my burgers.) A little sweetness and a little acidity to balance with the fat of the burger. I approve of beetroot on burgers. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/16 "2012-08-24T04:34:45Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > It’s not a real burger without beetroot on it!! > > It’s not raw though. If you hear an Australian mention beetroot, 95% of the time they will be talking about canned, pickled beetroot. I get cravings for that stuff once in a blue moon. Wouldn’t want it on a burger though. I don’t really like cucumber dill pickles on burgers much either. Come to think of it, I don’t think anything canned belongs on a burger. ---
**Author:** ![palacheck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@palacheck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palacheck)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/17 "2012-08-24T04:58:54Z")
They defile their burgers with beetroot!? Buncha savages. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/18 "2012-08-24T05:07:59Z")
Do these taste substantially different than regular US pickled beets from cans or jars? ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/19 "2012-08-24T05:33:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Beetroot in a hamburger is fine. It performs the same function as a bread-and-butter pickle does in American food (though I prefer straight dills on my burgers.) A little sweetness and a little acidity to balance with the fat of the burger. I approve of beetroot on burgers. I was trying to come up with an explanation for why, and I think that’s it. I love that bit of acidity you get from them. But it’s not quite as harsh (well harsh to me) of a full blown pickle. (About the only place you’ll get pickles on a burger in Oz is in a Macca’s Quarter Pounder or Cheeseburger.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418/20 "2012-08-24T06:04:17Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > I was trying to come up with an explanation for why, and I think that’s it. I love that bit of acidity you get from them. But it’s not quite as harsh (well harsh to me) of a full blown pickle. > > (About the only place you’ll get pickles on a burger in Oz is in a Macca’s Quarter Pounder or Cheeseburger.) That’s why I compare it to the bread & butter pickle. I find that to be particularly mild, with the acidity balanced by the sweetness. Dills are a bit sharper. But I can see what you’re saying. I think the acidity in the beetroot might be even more tempered. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aussies-ive-tried-a-beetroot-burger-what-am-i-missing-edited-title/632418.md?page=2)