How American McDonald's Burgers Differ From Italy's

At this point, you're probably pretty familiar with America's McDonald's burger options. You know that, with a few variations depending on the location, you can generally get a Big Mac, a Double Cheeseburger, a Quarter Pounder, a Double Quarter Pounder, or a Bacon Clubhouse Burger (via Fast Food Menu Prices).

If you've ever traveled to another country, you know that going to McDonald's abroad is an odd combination of new and familiar, with regional twists on the chain's classic menu items. The Italian take on the bacon cheeseburger, for example, is the Great Crispy McBacon, which according to McDonald's Italy (with a little help from Google Translate), is "100 percent beef from Italian farms, crunchy bacon from 100 percent Italian bacon, cheese and the unmistakable Crispy sauce. Like the classic, but even bigger." You won't see this super-sized bacon cheeseburger on U.S. menus. Plus, in Italy, as the McDonald's web site there tells us, you can also get cheeseburgers with Italian Scamorza cheese.

Not only can you get super-sized meat and premium cheese, you can also get burgers way fancier than any you'd find at a McDonald's in the States. The My Selection Asiago PDO & Bacon burger, the menu explains, is a burger made from Italian beef, topped with bacon entirely made from Italian pancetta, and graced with a local, smoky asiago cheese. From there, it's garnished with caramelized onions, Caesar dressing, and lettuce. 

Burgers aren't the only premium Italy-only options on the menu. The McToast is a ham and cheese breakfast sandwich made with fully circular toast. Plus, you can get Panzerotti, which are basically tiny calzones filled with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. The McCafé options in Italy are especially drool-worthy — macarons, espresso drinks with whipped cream, gorgeous jam-filled pastries topped with powdered sugar, tiramisu and other multi-layered cakes, gelato bites, and so many more fancy, delicious options that put America's McCafé coffee and sweets selection to shame.