The world's ten most expensive burgers… and eight of them are American

For a classic recipe that started life as just a handful of key ingredients, the humble hamburger has certainly come a long way from its fast food origins.The basic patty of ground meat sandwiched between a sliced bread roll has evolved into a full-on gourmet affair.These are the 10 most expensive burgers in the world; culinary works of gastronomic excellence with an astronomical price tag to match.

First: Fleur de Lys in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada, is home to the $5,000 FleurBurger 5,000 - the most expensive burger in the world

Second: A $777 Kobe Beef and Maine Lobster Burger, consisting of Kobe Beef and fresh Maine Lobster, caramelised onions, imported brie cheese, prosciutto, 100-year aged balsamic vinegar

Third: The $666 '666 Burger' from New York City, is foie gras-stuffed Kobe patty topped with gruyere cheese melted with champagne steam, lobster, truffles, caviar, and a BBQ sauce made with Kopi Luwak coffee beans

Eight of the patties can be found in upmarket restaurants in the U.S., while a ninth is on offer in London and a tenth in Indonesia. One of them even comes with a diamond-encrusted solid gold toothpick.However - with the cheapest on sale for £100 and the most expensive being offered for $5,000 - it's debatable whether your average burger-loving diner will ever be wealthy enough to sample the delights of these dishes.The most expensive on the list is the FleurBurger 5000, at Fleur de Lys in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, which costs a whopping $5,000.

Containing foie gras and a special truffle sauce, it is served on a brioche truffle bun with black truffles on the side and comes with a bottle of Chateau Petrus 1990, poured in Ichendorf Brunello stemware.And the $777 Kobe Beef and Maine Lobster Burger from Le Burger Brasserie in Paris Las Vegas, Nevada, consists of Kobe beef and fresh Maine lobster, caramelised onions, imported brie cheese, prosciutto, 100-year aged balsamic vinegar. It is served with a bottle of Rose Dom Perignon champagne.

It's class all the way for the '666' burger in New York. With a price tag of $666, the foie gras-stuffed Kobe patty is topped with gruyere cheese that has been melted with champagne steam, lobster, truffles, caviar, and a BBQ sauce made with Kopi Luwak coffee beans.

Fourth: At $499, the Absolutely Ridiculous Burger served up at Mallie's Sports Bar and Grill in Southgate, Michigan, is not only one of the world's most expensive - it's also the largest at 185.6lbs

Fifth: There's a baffling array of ingredients in the $295 Serendipity Burger from Serendipity 3 in New York City. But don't fret - a diamond-encrusted solid gold toothpick is included in the meal price

Some might say the $499 Absolutely Ridiculous Burger, from Mallie's Sports Bar & Grill in Southgate, Michigan, is precisely that.Not only is it one of the most expensive, the 185.6lb burger also holds the Guinness World Record holder for being the world's largest.

If you're wary of parting with $295 for the Serendipity Burger from New York's Serendipity 3 restaurant, fret not - the meal even comes with its very own diamond-encrusted solid gold toothpick.

The patty of Japanese Waygu beef is infused with ten herb white truffle butter, seasoned with Salish Alderwood smoked Pacific sea salt, topped with cheddar cheese hand-formed by James Montgomery in Somerset, England, and 18-month 'cave-aged' shaved black truffles. A fried quail egg, a white truffle-buttered Campagna Roll - itself, topped with a blini, creme fraiche, and Paramout Caviar's exclusive Kaluga caviar - finishes the dish.

Sixth : London's $200 offering, Top, consists of Wagyu beef, white truffles and Pata Negra ham slices 

Seventh: New York's $175 Richard Nouveau Burger, bottom, is topped with real gold flakes

Eighth: The DB Royale Double Truffle Burger at New York's B Bistro Moderne and the Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas costs $120

Ninth : The $108 Million Rupiah Hamburger, is topped with foie gras 

Tenth:  The $100 McGuire's Grand Burger, right, is a filet mignon and served with Moet and Chandon white star champagne

London's offering to this list is the $200 meal from One Burger King restaurant. Wagyu beef, white truffles, Pata Negra ham slices, Cristal onion straws is joined with Modena balsamic vinegar, lambs lettuce, pink Himalayan rock salt, organic white wine and shallot infused mayonnaise in an Iranian saffron and white truffle dusted bun.The $175 Richard Nouveau Burger, at the Wall Street Burger Shoppe in New York, is topped with real gold flakes, 25 grams of black truffles, a seared slab of foie gras and aged Gruyere.

The $120 DB Royale Double Truffle Burger, on sale at New York's B Bistro and the Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas, is stuffed with red wine-braised short ribs - off the bone - foie gras, a mix of root vegetables and preserved black truffle.

Indonesia's Million Rupiah Hamburger, served at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jakarta, earns its place in the top ten with the $108 patty topped with foie gras, portobello mushrooms and Korean pears.

At a mere $100, McGuire's Grand Burger, from McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola, Florida, is the least expensive patty on the list. It boasts a filet mignon and is served with Moet and Chandon white star champagne.