Can you guess these famous fast foods from their close-ups?
Prepare to feel hungry
Fancy yourself as a fast food expert? Visit the drive-thru on a weekly basis? Reckon you can tell famous burgers, pizzas and frozen treats apart from each other in a line-up of zoomed-in images and confusing close-ups? If the answer is yes, this is the quiz for you. It’s time to find out whether you’re a Big Mac master or KFC clueless.
chanonnat srisura/Shutterstock
This is a close-up of…
Every fast food chain sells a slightly different variation of this food: thin, thick, plain, spicy, crinkled. They’re easy to make but hard to get right. What are these crispy-looking strands and where are they from?
McDonald’s fries
Some of the best in the business, McDonald’s fries are ultra-thin, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. But they haven’t always been this way. Did you know in the 1940s, McDonald’s used to serve thick-cut chips?
Kevin O'Mara/Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
This is a close-up of…
Here’s a clue: that tempting drizzle of sauce is not mayonnaise and part of this dish comes from the sea. It was first launched to encourage more people to visit its restaurant on Fridays back in the 1960s and has been a controversial menu item over the years.
Willis Lam/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
This is a close-up of…
Easy to guess if you’re a fan of Cali-Mex, these have been on an American chain’s menu since the 1960s when they cost just 14p (19c). Even today, they’re still cheap as chips and one of the restaurant’s best-sellers.
Crunchy Taco
It was a Crunchy Taco from Taco Bell, filled with seasoned beef, shredded lettuce and shredded cheese. Nowadays, you can find Taco Bell in nearly 30 countries around the globe.
Patcharaporn Puttipon 636/Shutterstock
This is a close-up of...
What’s golden, crispy and covered in 11 herbs and spices? You'll find it at a restaurant whose name is just three letters and probably order with a side of gravy. It’s one of the most iconic fast food items in the world, not just America.
Scott Beale/Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
This is a close-up of…
Which menu item has such square corners? A bite-size morsel, you normally eat more than one and might even eat them “by the sack”. Just turned 100 years-old, the chain where you get these is credited with inventing the dish.
Cheese Slider
Named the most influential burger of all time by Time, White Castle’s Original Slider features a thin, square patty with five holes to help it cook more quickly. Its Cheese Slider also contains onions and a slice of American, jalapeño or smoked Cheddar cheese. Feeling hungry? No need to search for your local outpost, you can buy them frozen from the supermarket.
The Focal Project/Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0
This is a close-up of…
Other restaurants sell this fast food, but this chain’s version is widely thought of as the best. Despite being a side dish, it’s the most-ordered item on the menu.
Like_the_Grand_Canyon/Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0
This is a close-up of…
A fast food favourite named after the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit system, this multi-layered lunchtime treat was launched in the 1970s. The chain that sells it is the largest in the world.
Italian B.M.T
Although its adverts refer to it as Big. Meaty. Tasty., Subway’s flagship sandwich is actually named after the New York transport system. Featuring layers of pepperoni, salami, ham, salad and your choice of bread, the Italian B.M.T. has helped the fast food giant expand to more than 40,000 locations globally.
This is a close-up of...
Believe it or not, these date all the way back to the 1930s, when they were sold by the dozen to supermarkets. Food historians also say their secret recipe used to include mashed potato.
This is a close-up of…
A close-up is not this fast food item’s most flattering angle, but we promise you it's one of the hottest, most-talked-about dishes of all time. Launched in the 1970s, at one point you could order it any time of the day, but not anymore. Now you can only enjoy it in the morning.
Silvia Storti/Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0
This is a close-up of…
Sweet, spicy and with a tiny kick of caffeine, this item seriously divides opinion. But whether you love it or hate it, the season in which it's sold comes around every year, so you may as well get on board.
Push Doctor/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
Pumpkin Spice Latte
The drink everyone loves to hate, Starbucks’ signature seasonal offering features espresso, steamed milk, the flavours of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and whipped cream. It was launched in the early 2000s following a decade of pumpkin spice fanaticism. Although nowadays it’s easy to believe the drink was what caused the craze.
Check out the food fad from the year you were born
Lauren/Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0
This is a close-up of…
Where the cheese is always messy, the buns squishy and the meat juicy, the restaurant that sells this item launched with a bang in the 1980s and changed fast food forever. More upmarket than its fellow vendors, here you can pick your toppings and munch on peanuts while you wait.
Five Guys Cheeseburger
Surely the glimmer of silver foil gave it away? It was a messy, close-up of a Five Guys Cheeseburger. What we love about this joint is that you can choose as many free toppings as you like, from pickles and grilled mushrooms to jalapeños and hot sauce. Also, that its thick, crunchy fries are cooked in peanut oil.
Willis Lam/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
This is a close-up of…
What you can see here is the signature toasted pattern and folds of a relatively recent fast food item (compared to the others on this list). It may look plain on the outside, but it's a multi-faceted creation with many different layers, textures and flavours.
Crunchwrap Supreme
First introduced in 2005, Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme is a genius creation. For those who don’t know, inside the neatly-folded, hexagonal tortilla is its signature ground beef, nacho cheese, a crunchy tostada, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream, all layered up in that order.
Philip Wong/Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
This is a close-up of…
A chunky, frozen sweet treat named after a severe snowstorm. The red object to the right might give this one away if you’re able to identify which chain uses this colour.
Oreo Cookie Blizzard
It was an Oreo Cookie Blizzard from Dairy Queen. The chain launched Blizzards, soft-serve ice cream with different types of cookies, brownies and candy mixed in, in the 1980s. They were so popular in the first year, the chain sold 175 million of them.
This is a close-up of...
A fast food that needs no introduction. It was one of the first in the country and everyone knows it’s the best of its kind. Made according to a secret recipe that dates back to the 1960s, it has a juicy centre and is the perfect level of spicy. You can get it every day of the week but Sunday.
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich
The Pizza Review/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
This is a close-up of…
This saucy, greasy fast food was created in 1960 by two brothers who borrowed money from their mum to start a business. The restaurant it’s sold at had a different name back then, but it was just as popular and expanded quickly.
bhavit chawla/Shutterstock
Domino’s Cheese Pizza
One of the planet’s most popular pizzas, Domino’s has grown from a single store in Michigan to 17,600 locations in 90 countries, in 60 years. Customers can’t get enough of its signature floppy crust, generous coating of tomato sauce, thick layer of bubbling cheese and garlic dipping sauce.
Deutschlandreform/Shutterstock
This is a close-up of…
This is the flagship product of McDonalds' long-term rival. A hefty menu item launched in Miami in the 1950s. Back in the day it cost just 27p (37c).
rusty_clark/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
This is a close-up of…
A little-known fact about this fast food is that it comes in four different shapes. You probably like to dip them in barbecue sauce, ketchup or honey. If you’re feeling hungry, you can order up to 40 of them in a box.
S and S Imaging/Shutterstock
Chicken McNuggets
Chances are you’ve never stopped to notice the shape of your McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets as you’ve been in such a hurry to tuck in. However, a company official has confirmed they do come in different shapes with names: the boot, the ball, the bone and the bell.
snowpea&bokchoi/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
This is a close-up of…
Where you find ring doughnuts, you also find these. They come in a variety of flavours including glazed chocolate cake, blueberry and jelly. The sweet treats were launched by a global chain at the beginning of the 1970s.
snowpea&bokchoi/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
Munchkin Donut Hole Treats
Joe Strupek/Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0
This is a close-up of…
This drink arrived on a popular fast food chain’s menu in 1970. It’s not available year-round, only in the run up to a certain day.
McDonalds1197SParkDr/Facebook
This is a close-up of…
A fast food item that has stood the test of time, this has been on the menu since the 1960s and even has a sauce named after it. In 2018, for a limited time, it was made available in three sizes to mark its birthday.
KULLAPONG PARCHERAT/Shutterstock