Moo-ve Over Quarter Pounder

By Meghan Clark in Food on Apr 11, 2007 10:42PM

McDonald's recently added a Third Pounder Burger to their menu here in Chicago. The new burger is a third of pound (duh) of Angus beef topped with restaurant-choice toppings such as bacon or mushrooms and, as always, cheese. Southern California was the first test market for the burgers, and Chicago is serving as the second. Should they catch on, expect an increase in arterial clogs throughout the country.

McDonald's joins Burger King with the Angus burger trend, and Chicagoist couldn't help wondering, what's so special about Angus beef? Angus beef comes from Angus Cattle (again, duh), which originated as the Aberdeen-Angus breed in Scotland and was first brought to Kansas in 1873. The cattle got along well with locals, and the breed quickly grew. In November 1883, the American Aberdeen-Angus Association was founded here in Chicago, although the name was shortened in the 1950s to the American Angus Association.

The Association's marketing department must be doing its job well because Angus Beef is the most popular beef breed of cattle in the U.S. right now. If McDonald's new burgers are a success, the Angus cattle will surely keep their crown as Most Popular Cow.