Patty \Pat"ty\, n.; pl. {Patties}. [F. p[^a]t['e]. See {Pasty}.] A little pie.
The Cajun version is a meaty, spicy rice stuffed into an inedible sausage skin. In New Orleans, a boudin appeared as a rice, spice and duck meat patty dipped in beaten egg. Another French word with a distinctly local usage is an etouffee.
Although McDonald's, Burger King and competitors would have to develop a way to form a hamburger patty "I certainly think Taco Bell could put out a wonderful, low-fat taco" by using the process on a large scale, Dr. Small said.
Seymour, Wis., boosters spurn the Hamburgers' claim that the meat patty was first served in this Buffalo, N.Y., suburb at the 1885 Erie County Fair by entrepreneurs Francis and Charles Menches.
The hamburger patty is made with carrageenan, a common food additive made from seaweed, that permits removal of most of the fat.