Halal snack pack explained

Halal snack pack
Country:Australia
Region:Australasia
National Cuisine:Australian cuisine
Course:Main
Served:Hot

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, whilst yoghurt or yoghurt sauce,[2] [3] cheese, jalapeño peppers and tabbouleh are 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.[4] The snack pack has been described as a staple takeaway dish of kebab shops in Australia.

Some Australian restaurant menus refer to the dish as a "snack pack", "snack box" or "mixed plate". The name of the dish was chosen by the Macquarie Dictionary as the "People's Choice Word of the Year" for 2016.[5] In Western Australia, the dish is often called a "meat box", and in Adelaide it is known as an "AB".[6] [7] The dish also exists in New Zealand, where it is known as meat on chips.[8] Another notable similar phenomena is the Dutch kapsalon.

History

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.[9] They have since become a quintessential Australian dish.[10] [11] 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,[12] "döner teller" ("doner plate") in Germany, kapsalon" ("barbershop") in the Netherlands and Belgium, "kebabtallrik" ("kebab plate") in Sweden,[13] [14] [15] "gyro fries" in the United States, and "kebab ranskalaisilla" ("kebab with French fries") in Finland. In Adelaide, the dish is known as an "AB". Meanwhile in Perth, Western Australia the term "meat box" is commonly used.[16]

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.[17] [18] [19] 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.[20]

In popular culture

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.[21] In response, several Australian restaurants created a Pauline Hanson-inspired halal snack pack.[22] [23] There has also been a GoFundMe campaign to turn Hanson's former fish and chip shop into a pop-up halal snack pack stand.[24]

Similar dishes

The "AB" dish in Adelaide is gyros meat topped with chips, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, barbecue sauce, and garlic sauce.[25] The dish is sometimes served with alcoholic beverages. 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.[26] The "AB" may be placed at the centre of the table and shared.[27] The Healthy Snack Pack is a variant of the Halal Snack Pack where the chips are replaced by a choice of salad.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ewart . J. . O'Donnell . K. . Reporting Islam: International best practice for journalists . Taylor & Francis . 2018 . 978-1-351-78051-3 . February 12, 2019 . pt202.
  2. Web site: The best Halal Snack Packs in Sydney . 2022-11-30 . Time Out Sydney . en-AU . 30 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221130014454/https://www.timeout.com/sydney/restaurants/the-best-halal-snack-packs-in-sydney . live .
  3. Web site: Please explain the halal snack pack? You've got it! . 30 November 2022 . delicious.com.au . 5 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190305045100/https://www.delicious.com.au/food-files/article/please-explain-halal-snack-pack-youve-got/52a7a79c-08c5-445b-8f89-343f9d65954c . live .
  4. Web site: Which Australian states are banning single-use plastics?. 29 August 2023. 31 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240531224211/https://www.marineconservation.org.au/which-australian-states-are-banning-single-use-plastics/. live.
  5. Web site: Halal snack pack named people's choice word of 2016 by Macquarie Dictionary. The Age. 1 February 2017. 3 September 2021. 1 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801001459/https://www.theage.com.au/national/halal-snack-pack-named-peoples-choice-word-of-2016-by-macquarie-dictionary-20170201-gu2ui2.html. live.
  6. Web site: Halal Snack Pack? No, Adelaide's Version is Called an "AB". Broadsheet. 11 July 2016. 29 August 2023. 10 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110120313/https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/food-and-drink/article/halal-snack-pack-no-adelaides-version-called-ab. live.
  7. Web site: Stewart . Natasha . 9 April 2012 . Where is Adelaide's Best AB? . weekendnotes.com . 27 September 2023 . 31 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240531224157/https://www.weekendnotes.com/adelaides-best-ab/ . live .
  8. Web site: Stuff . 2024-06-30 . www.stuff.co.nz.
  9. News: Unpacking the halal snack pack. Food. 2018-01-28. en. 10 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110114809/https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/05/09/unpacking-halal-snack-pack. live.
  10. Web site: Bartholomeusz. Rachel. Unpacking the Halal Snack Pack. SBS news. 9 May 2016. SBS. 17 May 2016. 20 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160520133407/http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/05/09/unpacking-halal-snack-pack. live.
  11. Web site: Explaining the Halal Snack Pack. Jack. Kerr. 21 June 2016. 28 July 2016. 18 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160818003301/https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/food-and-drink/article/explaining-halal-snack-pack. live.
  12. Web site: Kitchin . Tom . 2019-12-05 . Kebab meat on chips is an Uber Eats favourite – I'm hooked too . 2024-04-06 . Stuff . 10 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230610074616/https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/reviews/117981291/kebab-meat-on-chips-is-an-uber-eats-favourite--im-hooked-too . live .
  13. Web site: En kebabtallrik. Sverge Radio.
  14. Web site: Recipe - Kebab platter/Kebabtallrik. Mike. 12 November 2009. Freestyle Cookery. 28 July 2016. 31 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240531224157/http://www.freestylecookery.com/2009/11/recipe-kebab-platter-kebabtallrik.html. live.
  15. Web site: Allting på? Introducing the kebabtallrik – A Swedish delicacy. Truly Swedish. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161006125237/https://trulyswedish.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/allting-pa-introducing-the-kebabtallrik-a-swedish-delicacy/. 2016-10-06.
  16. News: IN FOCUS: Smashing a Late Night Meatbox (HSP). The Bell Tower Times. 2022-03-18. en. 18 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220318045053/https://www.thebelltowertimes.com/in-focus-smashing-a-meatbox-hsp/. live.
  17. Web site: Halal snack packs: the fast food bringing cultures together. Engel. Schmidl. 25 July 2016. The National. Abu Dhabi Media. 28 July 2016. 28 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160728021141/http://www.thenational.ae/arts-life/food/halal-snack-packs-the-fast-food-bringing-cultures-together. live.
  18. Web site: The halal snack pack: a fast track to a heart attack? Or worse?. Michael. Safi. Elle. Hunt. Josh. Wall. 19 April 2016. The Guardian.
  19. News: Halal snack pack: bridging cultures or a recipe for radicalisation?. Josh. Wall. Julian. Chung. The Guardian. 19 April 2016 .
  20. Web site: An important look inside the contents of a Halal Snack Pack. Katy. Hall. 5 July 2016. Mama Mia. 28 July 2016. 17 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817134013/http://www.mamamia.com.au/halal-snack-pack/. live.
  21. Web site: There's one thing you don't want to mention to Pauline Hanson.. news.com.au. 14 August 2016. 13 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160813132055/http://www.news.com.au/national/federal-election/pauline-hanson-loses-it-over-halal-snack-packs/news-story/a52ed6c717833bdc81c14839e5de9518. live.
  22. Web site: A Sydney restaurant has invented a vegan Pauline Hanson Halal Snack Pack . timeout.com . Herring . Freya . 2 August 2016 . 14 August 2016 . 17 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160917110418/https://www.timeout.com/sydney/blog/a-sydney-restaurant-has-invented-a-vegan-pauline-hanson-halal-snack-pack-080216 . live .
  23. Web site: Young . Matt . July 18, 2016 . Melbourne restaurant creates Aussie version of Pauline Hanson-inspired Halal Snack Pack . 21 January 2018 . The Courier Mail.
  24. Web site: This GoFundMe campaign wants to make Pauline Hanson's former fish & chip shop halal. https://web.archive.org/web/20160706154038/http://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-gofundme-campaign-wants-to-make-pauline-hansons-former-fish-chip-shop-halal-2016-7. dead. 6 July 2016. Simon. Thomsen. 4 July 2016. Business Insider. 14 August 2016.
  25. Web site: Halal Snack Pack? No, Adelaide's version is called an "AB". Katie. Spain. 11 July 2016. Broadsheet. Broadsheet Media. 28 July 2016. 10 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110120313/https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/food-and-drink/article/halal-snack-pack-no-adelaides-version-called-ab. live.
  26. Hough, Andrew. (14 July 2005). "Rivals Lay Claim to the 'Absolutely Beautiful' - Cafe's Messy Meal Turns Into a Title Fight", The Advertiser, p29.
  27. McCann, James (23 April 2016). "Who Makes Adelaide's Best AB?", Rip It Up, Adelaide. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016.

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