A hamburger (or simply burger) is an American sandwich that consists of a cooked patty of ground meat that is fried, steamed, grilled, broiled, barbequed, seared or deep fried and is generally served with various garnish or condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayonaise, lettuce, tomato, onion, relish and cheese toppings, placed inside a sliced bun, often baked specially for this purpose, or pieces of bread or toast. The meat patty is beef, unless otherwise noted.