"Post-World War II America is an interesting time to look into for cuisine history buffs. Numerous advancements were made in processing and packaging long-lasting foods that could make the long journey from the States to points around the globe to feed the troops. Once the war ended, all that innovation had to go somewhere - so it landed in American homes. That's how we went from scratch cooking to becoming obsessed with convenience food."
"Lots of interesting dishes and creations came about during this time, but perhaps more interesting than most of the plenty of '50s sandwiches was the so-called "Friday burger." Think of it as a more retro predecessor to the tuna melt. On toasted hamburger buns, you have breadcrumb-coated canned tuna dressed with Miracle Whip and celery salt. Right on top of this tuna patty would be a few rings of onion, dill pickles, and a classic slice of American cheese."
"There are very few sources that go into the sandwich's origin, but it's likely linked to Roman Catholic tradition, as Fridays meant abstaining from meat. Fish, however, was okay, so Friday meals would often consist of baked salmon, tuna noodle casseroles, or fish sticks. Someone eventually came up with the idea of swapping the beef patty in their burger with tuna to get a Fish Friday-appropriate meal, and that's how the Friday Burger came to be."
Post-World War II American food production innovations turned military-focused processing and packaging into widespread home convenience foods. Culinary creativity in the 1950s produced novel sandwiches, including the Friday burger: a breadcrumb-coated canned tuna patty on toasted hamburger buns dressed with Miracle Whip and celery salt, topped with onion rings, dill pickles, and American cheese. The sandwich likely arose from Roman Catholic Friday abstinence from meat, substituting fish for beef to create a Fish Friday–appropriate burger. The Friday burger resembles a retro predecessor to the tuna melt and reflects midcentury shifts from scratch cooking toward convenience.
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