Why are Hash Browns trending? Netizens question recent viral social media trend
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Hash Browns (Photo: Instagram/@joy.formentera and @mcdo_ph)Hash Browns have taken over the Threads app. The sudden surge in breakfast food has left some netizens puzzled, wondering why everyone on the social media platform was joking about the food item.
It all started when the user @theworddegree, who is from Australia, noted that the McDonald's hash browns are now $4.35. Some netizens started disagreeing with her, even though she provided proof of her purchase.
The disagreement occurred due to the currency difference between the American dollar and the Australian dollar.
The user then started posting continuously about hash browns on the app, causing others to do the same. After other Threads users joined in on the joke, the breakfast item trended on the app for the next 24 hours, confusing others as to why it was trending. The joke ended up creating various memes.
Yes. The world is like, “Forget wars and politics, let’s worship crispy potato perfection!” 🥔😂
— Lakshmikar (@lakshmikar) August 6, 2025Beyond Meat, the plant-based protein company, joined the trend and jokingly told others to question everything the same way they were questioning the sudden trend.
"Why are hash browns trending? Why is anything the way that it is. Question everything. Set a meeting with your boss. Tell them, 'Let's align on whether your current role is meeting the company's evolving needs.' Startle them. Turn the tables. Shift the hash browns," Beyond Meat wrote.
The history of hash browns explored
The origin of the beloved breakfast item dates back to 19th-century Europe, Switzerland, to be specific. According to Crack'd Kitchen, potatoes were introduced to Europeans in the 16th century, after explorers brought them from the New World, which is the Western Hemisphere or the Americas.
Potatoes quickly became a staple in people's diets, and they figured out different ways to prepare the vegetable. The farmers of Switzerland created Rösti, the origin of the modern breakfast food.
Rösti is made by grating the potatoes, then removing the extra moisture and frying them with salt, in either oil or butter. The filling and tasty food was popular among the working class as it sustained them during long working hours.
As the European immigrants arrived in America in the 19th and 20th centuries, they brought Rösti with them.
The blog claimed that the popularity of the modern version of Rösti is due to the invention of the potato ricer in the 1880s.
The kitchen tool made grating potatoes easier, and soon diners and breakfast spots across the country started offering them to customers.
The dish was no longer called Rösti. Instead, the diners called it "hash browned potatoes." The word hash comes from the French word hacher, which means chopping something.
The dish was hash browned potatoes because of the diced potatoes and the brown color of the dish.
By the mid-20th century, the growing fast-food chains and the advancement of frozen food technology helped the breakfast item to become one of the most popular foods in the US.
Meanwhile, the joke surrounding hash browns has spread outside of Threads as netizens started discussing the humorous trend on Instagram, X, Reddit, etc. Internet users have shared how they enjoyed joking around with the beloved breakfast food.
Stay tuned for more trend-related news.
TOPICS: Hash Browns, Threads, Trend, Viral