The Big Mac is McDonald's signature burger and, thanks to The Economist, an accidental unit of international economics. Here is what one actually costs you nutritionally, how it compares to the burgers it competes with, and where it came from.
Where the Big Mac came from
Introduced 1967
The Big Mac was created by Jim Delligatti, a McDonald's franchisee in the Greater Pittsburgh area, and went on sale at his Uniontown, Pennsylvania restaurant on 22 April 1967. It reached every US McDonald's the following year. The name came from Esther Glickstein Rose, a 21-year-old advertising secretary at head office in Oak Brook, Illinois.
- The Economist built the Big Mac Index around it, using the burger's price to compare the cost of living between countries — precisely because it is so widely available and so consistent from market to market.
- In 2007 a McDonald's spokeswoman put US sales at 560 million a year. That is roughly seventeen Big Macs every second.
- The 1974 jingle that listed the build — "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun" — is still how most people can recite the recipe.
Making one at home
McDonald's executive chef made the sauce public in 2012, so this one is unusually well documented. The sauce is mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish and yellow mustard whisked together with vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. The build is two thin beef patties (about 1.6 oz each), shredded iceberg lettuce, one slice of American cheese, two dill pickle slices and minced onion, on a three-piece sesame seed bun — the middle slice is what makes it a Big Mac rather than a double cheeseburger.
A homemade version will not match the figures above — those are McDonald's own
published numbers for the restaurant item.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a Big Mac?
A Big Mac has 580 calories, with 25g of protein, 34g of fat and 45g of carbohydrates.
How many calories are in a Big Mac Meal?
1,170 calories with medium fries and a medium Coca-Cola, which is McDonald's own figure for the meal. With a Diet Coke instead it is 900.
Is a Big Mac or a Whopper higher in calories?
The Whopper, by 90 calories: a Whopper without cheese is 670 calories against 580 for a Big Mac.
How much protein is in a Big Mac?
25 grams.
What is in Big Mac sauce?
McDonald's disclosed the recipe in 2012: mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish and yellow mustard, whisked with vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika.