Wikipedia

Halal snack pack

A halal snack pack is an Australian fast food dish, which consists of halal-certified doner kebab meat (lamb, chicken, or beef) and chips.[1] It also includes different kinds of sauces, usually chilli, garlic, and barbecue.[2] Yoghurt or yoghurt sauce,[3][4] cheese, jalapeño peppers, and tabbouleh are also common additions. While the snack pack was traditionally served in a styrofoam container, it is now most commonly served in moulded pulp or cardboard containers, as most Australian states have banned single-use plastic packaging.[5] The snack pack has been described as a staple takeaway dish of kebab shops in Australia.[2][6]

Halal snack pack
A halal snack pack
Alternative names
  • HSP
  • AB
  • meat in a box
  • meat on chips
  • meat box
  • snack box
  • snack pack
  • kebab snack plate
  • mixed meat package
  • kebab box
CourseMain
Place of originAustralia
Region or stateAustralasia
Associated cuisineAustralian cuisine
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredients

Some Australian restaurant menus refer to the dish as a "snack pack", "snack box" or "mixed plate".[2] The name of the dish was chosen by the Macquarie Dictionary as the "People's Choice Word of the Year" for 2016.[7] In Western Australia, the dish is often called a "meat box", and in Adelaide it is known as an "AB".[a][8][9] The dish also exists in New Zealand, where it is known as meat on chips.[10] Another notable similar phenomena is the Dutch kapsalon.

History

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The halal snack pack originated in Australia as a culinary fusion of Middle-Eastern and European cuisines. According to some, snack packs date back at least to the 1980s.[11] They have since become a quintessential Australian dish.[12][13] Variations or similar dishes exist in other countries; examples include "doner meat and chips" in the United Kingdom, "kebab meat on chips" in New Zealand,[14] "döner teller" ("doner plate") in Germany, kapsalon" ("barbershop") in the Netherlands and Belgium, "kebabtallrik" ("kebab plate") in Sweden,[15][16][17] "gyro fries" in the United States, and "kebab ranskalaisilla" ("kebab with French fries") in Finland. In Adelaide, the dish is known as an "AB".[18] Meanwhile in Perth, Western Australia the term "meat box" is commonly used.[19]

In late 2015, following the creation of the Facebook group Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society, a subculture formed around the dish that was known to bring cultures together.[20][21][22] 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 for much of the increase in attention paid to this dish.[23][24]

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A halal snack pack served on a ceramic plate

In July 2016, then-Labor Senator Sam Dastyari invited the One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson out for a halal snack pack after she won a Senate seat in the 2016 Australian federal election. She rejected his proposal, saying, “It’s not happening, not interested in halal, thank you”. Hanson then elaborated, stating, “I’m not interested in it. I don’t believe in halal certification,” and went on to claim that “98 percent of Australians” opposed it.[25] In response, 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 pop-up halal snack pack stand.[28]

Similar dishes

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The "AB" dish in Adelaide is gyros meat topped with chips, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, barbecue sauce, and garlic sauce.[29][30][18] The dish is sometimes served with alcoholic beverages.[29] Two restaurants in Adelaide claim they invented the dish: the North Adelaide Burger Bar (also known as the Red & White) between 1969 and 1972, and the Blue & White in 1989.[29][31][32] The "AB" may be placed at the centre of the table and shared.[31][33] The Healthy Snack Pack is a variant of the Halal Snack Pack where the chips are replaced by a choice of salad.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ewart, J.; O'Donnell, K. (2018). Reporting Islam: International best practice for journalists. Taylor & Francis. p. pt202. ISBN 978-1-351-78051-3. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Your Local Kebab Shop Is Now Trending, Introducing Your New Facebook Group Obsession". MTV. 14 March 2016. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. ^ "The best Halal Snack Packs in Sydney". Time Out Sydney. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Please explain the halal snack pack? You've got it!". delicious.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Which Australian states are banning single-use plastics?". Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  6. ^ Safi, Michael; Hunt, Elle; Wall, Josh (18 April 2016). "The halal snack pack: a fast track to a heart attack? Or worse?". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Halal snack pack named people's choice word of 2016 by Macquarie Dictionary". The Age. 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Halal Snack Pack? No, Adelaide's Version is Called an "AB"". Broadsheet. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  9. ^ Stewart, Natasha (9 April 2012). "Where is Adelaide's Best AB?". weekendnotes.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Unpacking the halal snack pack". Food. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  12. ^ Bartholomeusz, Rachel (9 May 2016). "Unpacking the Halal Snack Pack". SBS news. SBS. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  13. ^ Kerr, Jack (21 June 2016). "Explaining the Halal Snack Pack". Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  14. ^ Kitchin, Tom (5 December 2019). "Kebab meat on chips is an Uber Eats favourite – I'm hooked too". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  15. ^ "En kebabtallrik". Sverge Radio.
  16. ^ Mike (12 November 2009). "Recipe - Kebab platter/Kebabtallrik". Freestyle Cookery. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  17. ^ "Allting på? Introducing the kebabtallrik – A Swedish delicacy". Truly Swedish. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016.
  18. ^ a b Spain, Katie (11 July 2016). "Halal Snack Pack? No, Adelaide's version is called an "AB"". Broadsheet. Broadsheet Media. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  19. ^ "IN FOCUS: Smashing a Late Night Meatbox (HSP)". The Bell Tower Times. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  20. ^ Schmidl, Engel (25 July 2016). "Halal snack packs: the fast food bringing cultures together". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  21. ^ Safi, Michael; Hunt, Elle; Wall, Josh (19 April 2016). "The halal snack pack: a fast track to a heart attack? Or worse?". The Guardian.
  22. ^ Wall, Josh; Chung, Julian (19 April 2016). "Halal snack pack: bridging cultures or a recipe for radicalisation?". The Guardian.
  23. ^ Hall, Katy (5 July 2016). "An important look inside the contents of a Halal Snack Pack". Mama Mia. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  24. ^ "Senator rates halal snack pack a 10". Sky News Australia. 17 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  25. ^ "There's one thing you don't want to mention to Pauline Hanson". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  26. ^ Herring, Freya (2 August 2016). "A Sydney restaurant has invented a vegan Pauline Hanson Halal Snack Pack". timeout.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  27. ^ Young, Matt (18 July 2016). "Melbourne restaurant creates Aussie version of Pauline Hanson-inspired Halal Snack Pack". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  28. ^ Thomsen, Simon (4 July 2016). "This GoFundMe campaign wants to make Pauline Hanson's former fish & chip shop halal". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  29. ^ a b c "Macquarie Dictionary". Macquariedictionary.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  30. ^ "The AB at Blue & White Café North Adelaide". Gourmantic. 24 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  31. ^ a b "Where is Adelaides Best AB?". WeekendNotes. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 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.

Notes

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  1. ^ The name supposedly stands for "abortion", but other variants include "after birth", "absolutely beautiful" or "atomic bomb".

Further reading

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External videos
  "The world's biggest halal snack-pack". Sunrise.
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