Halal snack pack

Halal snack pack

Halal snack packs
Alternative names HSP, meat in a box, meat on chips, meat box, snack box, snack pack, kebab snack plate
Place of origin Australia
Serving temperature Hot
Main ingredients Doner Kebab, chips, sauces, and optionally cheese.
Variations Adelaide AB
Cookbook: Halal snack pack  Media: Halal snack pack

A halal snack pack, or HSP, is a dish consisting of halal-certified doner kebab meat (typically beef but also chicken and lamb),[1] chips, and one or more sauces, especially chili, garlic and barbecue.[2] Yoghurt, cheese, jalapeño peppers, and hummus are common additions. It is traditionally served in a styrofoam container, and has been described as a staple dish of takeaway kebab shops in Australia.[2][3] Some Australian restaurant menus refer to the dish as a "snack box" or "mixed plate", rather than as a "halal snack pack".[2]

History

The halal snack pack dish originated in Australia as a culinary fusion of Middle-Eastern and European cuisine. By some accounts, snack packs have had a long history, originating more than 30 years ago. They have since become a quintessential Australian dish.[4][5] However, variations or similar dishes exist in other countries; such include "doner meat and chips" in the United Kingdom, "kebabtallrik" ("kebab plate") in Sweden,[6][7][8] and "kebab ranskalaisilla" ("kebab with French fries") in Finland. In Adelaide, South Australia, the dish is known as "AB".[9]

In late 2015, following the creation of the Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society, a subculture formed around the dish and has been suggested to bring cultures together.[10][11][12] This led to wide coverage of the dish in the media, as well as a notable reference by Senator Sam Dastyari in Australian Parliament during a debate about halal certification which is credited as largely the reason for the increase in attention paid to this dish.[13][14]

Health concerns have been raised, even flippantly,[15][16] about halal snack packs' refined carbohydrate and saturated fat content, causing obesity and heart disease, among other conditions, such as cerebrovascular, metabolic and renal conditions and complications.[17][11][12]

Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society

The Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society is a Facebook group established in December 2015 by Luke Eagles and Ryan Durrington[18] and is the centre of halal snack pack subculture. The group had 16,000 members sign on in its first month. As of November 2016, the group has more than 183,000 members.[19][3][14][20] Like the dish, the subculture within the group is a blend of Middle-Eastern and Western. Both Muslim and non-Muslim members use Islamic words in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, expressing approval of a snack pack by describing it as "halal" or disapproval by describing it as "haram".[21] A member who requests tomato sauce or salad (e.g., lettuce or tabbouleh),[21] with their snack pack is referred to as a "haram dingo",[3][22] and the page states that such users should be banned.[3]

One of the goals of the Facebook group is to identify the potential for the world's best halal snack pack.[3] The group also raises funds to support the Australian Relief Organisation, an organisation that assists underprivileged people to attain cataract surgery and assists orphanages with matters regarding water supplies.[23]

A typical post on the page involves a picture of a recently-purchased halal snack pack, along with an informal review that scores the dish on various criteria, including meat, chips and sauce quality, clarity of halal signage, packaging, price and greeting.[2][14][23] Muslim and non-Muslim members, who refer to one another as "brother and sister", band together to oppose any anti-halal posts that appear on the page. The Australian Labor Party senator Sam Dastyari is a member of the Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society and has publicly stated support for halal products and certification.[14][24]

Some kebab shops and restaurants have noted significantly increased sales after being reviewed on the group's Facebook page.[3] For example, Metro One in the inner-west suburb of Ashfield in Sydney had revenue increases of over 75% after being featured on the site as making one of the best halal snack packs in the city.[3]

Political impacts

In July 2016, Labor Senator Sam Dastyari invited the One Nation party leader, Pauline Hanson, out for a Halal Snack Pack following her victory of a senate seat in the Australian Federal Elections. She rejected his proposal saying, “It’s not happening, not interested in halal, thank you”. Hanson then elaborated by stating “I’m not interested in it. I don’t believe in halal certification,” and went on to claim that “98 per cent of Australians” opposed it.[25] As a consequence, several Australian restaurants created a Pauline Hanson-inspired Halal Snack Pack.[26][27] There has also been a GoFundMe campaign to turn Hanson's former fish and chip shop into a halal snack pack popup stand.[28]

Similar dishes

The AB in Adelaide is a very similar dish, which is prepared using gyro meat, chips, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, barbecue sauce, and garlic sauce.[29][30][9] The dish is sometimes accompanied with alcoholic beverages.[29] Two restaurants in Adelaide have claimed to have invented the dish: the North Adelaide Burger Bar (also known as the Red & White), which claims to have invented the AB between 1969 and 1972, and the Blue & White, which dates their claim to 1989.[29][31][32] The AB may be consumed as a shared dish, with the meal being placed at the centre of a table.[31][33] According to urban legend, the North Adelaide Burger Bar AB takes its name from one of two words: "afterbirth" or "abortion".[9] Since a change of ownership, AB appears as Atomic Bomb on the North Adelaide Burger Bar menu.[9]

Kapsalon is a Dutch food item consisting of fries, topped with döner or shawarma meat, grilled with a layer of Gouda cheese until melted, and then covered with a layer of dressed salad greens.

A munchy box is an inexpensive fast-food product sold from takeaway restaurants, primarily in the West of Scotland and Glasgow. It typically includes kebab meat, fried chicken, pizza, chicken tikka, onion rings, pakora, naan bread, garlic bread, coleslaw, and other fast foods and sauces.

HSP culture also has a Canadian cousin in poutine dishes. Poutine (french slang for "a mess") traditionally consists of fries, thin gravy and cheese curds, plus a variety of toppings from ground beef, sliced sausage, or doner meat like the HSP, to pizza sauce, bacon and maple syrup, even foie gras and truffles.


See also

References

  1. ↑ Pawsey, Rosa K. (2002). "Case Studies in Food Microbiology for Food Safety and Quality". Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 109. ISBN 0854046267.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Your Local Kebab Shop Is Now Trending, Introducing Your New Facebook Group Obsession". MTV. March 14, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Safi, Michael; Hunt, Elle; Wall, Josh (April 18, 2016). "The halal snack pack: a fast track to a heart attack? Or worse?". the Guardian. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  4. ↑ Bartholomeusz, Rachel. "Unpacking the Halal Snack Pack". SBS news. SBS. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Kerr, Jack (21 June 2016). "Explaining the Halal Snack Pack".
  6. ↑ "En kebabtallrik". Sverge Radio.
  7. ↑ Mike (12 November 2009). "Recipe - Kebab platter/Kebabtallrik". Freestyle Cookery.
  8. ↑ "Allting på? Introducing the kebabtallrik – A Swedish delicacy". Truly Swedish.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Spain, Katie (11 July 2016). "Halal Snack Pack? No, Adelaide's version is called an "AB"". Broadsheet. Broadsheet Media.
  10. ↑ Schmidl, Engel (25 July 2016). "Halal snack packs: the fast food bringing cultures together". The National. Abu Dhabi Media.
  11. 1 2 Safi, Michael; Hunt, Elle; Wall, Josh (19 April 2016). "The halal snack pack: a first track to a heart attack? Or worse?". The Guardian. The Guardian.
  12. 1 2 Wall, Josh; Chung, Julian. "Halal snack pack: bridging cultures or a recipe for radicalisation?". The Guardian. The Guardian.
  13. ↑ Hall, Katy (5 July 2016). "An important look inside the contents of a Halal Snack Pack". Mama Mia.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Senator rates halal snack pack a 10". Sky News Australia. March 17, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  15. ↑ Andrew (15 April 2016). "Forget Kebabs and Burgers, We've Found Your New Favorite Drunk Food". Hole in the Wall Brisbane.
  16. ↑ The (Un)Australian (22 July 2016). "Increase in Heart Disease Attributed to Hipsters Trying Out Halal Snack Packs". The (Un)Australian.
  17. ↑ Frances, William Scates (June 2016). "The meteoric rise of the Halal Snack Pack: What does it all mean?". The Point Magazine. The Point Magazine.
  18. ↑ Andersen, Josh. "Meet the Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society (HSPAS)". Pile Rats.
  19. ↑ "Only in Australia could something this delicious be invented". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  20. ↑ "Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society?". Facebook. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  21. 1 2 Howes, Jack (4 July 2016). "What's the deal with halal snack packs?". The Urban List.
  22. ↑ "Halal snack pack: bridging cultures or a recipe for radicalisation? – video". the Guardian. July 3, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  23. 1 2 "Pilgrims heading for Halal snack pack Mecca". Daily Telegraph. March 11, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  24. ↑ Rawson, Sharnee (14 July 2016). "Senator Sam Dastyari's guide to halal snack packs". Good Food. Fairfax Media.
  25. ↑ "There's one thing you don't want to mention to Pauline Hanson.". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "A Sydney restaurant has invented a vegan Pauline Hanson Halal Snack Pack". timeout.com. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  27. ↑ http://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyle/food/melbourne-restaurant-creates-aussie-version-of-pauline-hansoninspired-halal-snack-pack/news-story/f56f392167a66dbd31b2dd1e1e0fb9a6
  28. ↑ Thomsen, Simon (4 July 2016). "This GoFundMe campaign wants to make Pauline Hanson's former fish & chip shop halal". businessinsider.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  29. 1 2 3 "Macquarie Dictionary". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  30. ↑ "The AB at Blue & White Café North Adelaide". Gourmantic. January 24, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  31. 1 2 "Where is Adelaides Best AB?". WeekendNotes. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  32. ↑ Hough, Andrew. (14 July 2005). "Rivals Lay Claim to the 'Absolutely Beautiful' - Cafe's Messy Meal Turns Into a Title Fight", The Advertiser, p29.
  33. ↑ McCann, James (23 April 2016). "Who Makes Adelaide's Best AB?", Rip It Up, Adelaide. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016.

Further reading

External links

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