Halal snack pack

A halal snack pack (known as meat on chips in New Zealand)[1][2][3] is a fast food dish, popular in Australia, which consists of halal-certified doner kebab meat (lamb, chicken, or beef) and chips.[4] It also includes different kinds of sauces, usually chilli, garlic, and barbecue,[5] whilst yoghurt or yoghurt sauce,[6][7] 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 molded pulp or cardboard containers, as most Australian states have banned single use plastic packaging.[8] The snack pack has been described as a staple takeaway dish of kebab shops in Australia.[5][9]

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".[5] The name of the dish was chosen by the Macquarie Dictionary as the "People's Choice Word of the Year" for 2016.[10] In Western Australia, the dish is often called a "meat box", and in Adelaide it is known as an "AB".[lower-alpha 1][11][12]

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.[13] They have since become a quintessential Australian dish.[14][15] However, variations or similar dishes exist in other countries; examples include "doner meat and chips" in the United Kingdom, "döner teller" ("doner plate") in Germany, ngakungaku-me-tītipi ("meat on chips") in New Zealand,[2][3] "kapsalon" ("barbershop") in the Netherlands and Belgium, "kebabtallrik" ("kebab plate") in Sweden,[16][17][18] "gyro fries" in the United States, and "kebab ranskalaisilla" ('kebab with French fries') in Finland. In Adelaide, South Australia, the dish is known as an "AB".[19] Meanwhile in Perth, Western Australia the term "meat box" is commonly used.[20]

In late 2015, following the creation of a Facebook group, Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society, a subculture formed around the dish, it has been known to bring cultures together.[21][22][23] 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.[24][25]

Health concerns have been raised about the refined carbohydrate content of halal snack packs. Excess refined carbohydrates can cause obesity and heart disease, as well as cerebrovascular, metabolic and renal conditions and complications.[26][22][23][27]

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.[28] In response, several Australian restaurants created a Pauline Hanson-inspired halal snack pack.[29][30] There has also been a GoFundMe campaign to turn Hanson's former fish and chip shop into a pop-up halal snack pack stand.[31]

Similar dishes

The "AB" dish in Adelaide is gyros meat topped with chips, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, barbecue sauce, and garlic sauce.[32][33][19] The dish is sometimes served with alcoholic beverages.[32] 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.[32][34][35] The "AB" may be placed at the centre of the table and shared.[34][36] The Healthy Snack Pack is a variant of the Halal Snack Pack where the chips are replaced by a choice of salad.

See also

References
  1. Kitchin, Tom (5 December 2019). "Kebab meat on chips is an Uber Eats favourite – I'm hooked too". Stuff. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  2. "DoorDash reveals Wellington's favourite orders between 10pm and 3am". Newshub. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  3. "Pepper spray used after drunk 14yo sparks early morning brawl". NZ Herald. 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  4. 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.
  5. "Your Local Kebab Shop Is Now Trending, Introducing Your New Facebook Group Obsession". MTV. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  6. "The best Halal Snack Packs in Sydney". Time Out Sydney. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  7. "Please explain the halal snack pack? You've got it!". delicious.com.au. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  8. "Which Australian states are banning single-use plastics?". Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  9. 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.
  10. "Halal snack pack named people's choice word of 2016 by Macquarie Dictionary". The Age. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  11. "Halal Snack Pack? No, Adelaide's Version is Called an "AB"". Broadsheet. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  12. Stewart, Natasha (9 April 2012). "Where is Adelaide's Best AB?". weekendnotes.com.
  13. "Unpacking the halal snack pack". Food. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  14. Bartholomeusz, Rachel (9 May 2016). "Unpacking the Halal Snack Pack". SBS news. SBS. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  15. Kerr, Jack (21 June 2016). "Explaining the Halal Snack Pack".
  16. "En kebabtallrik". Sverge Radio.
  17. Mike (12 November 2009). "Recipe - Kebab platter/Kebabtallrik". Freestyle Cookery.
  18. "Allting på? Introducing the kebabtallrik – A Swedish delicacy". Truly Swedish. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016.
  19. Spain, Katie (11 July 2016). "Halal Snack Pack? No, Adelaide's version is called an "AB"". Broadsheet. Broadsheet Media.
  20. "IN FOCUS: Smashing a Late Night Meatbox (HSP)". The Bell Tower Times. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  21. Schmidl, Engel (25 July 2016). "Halal snack packs: the fast food bringing cultures together". The National. Abu Dhabi Media.
  22. Safi, Michael; Hunt, Elle; Wall, Josh (19 April 2016). "The halal snack pack: a fast track to a heart attack? Or worse?". The Guardian.
  23. Wall, Josh; Chung, Julian (19 April 2016). "Halal snack pack: bridging cultures or a recipe for radicalisation?". The Guardian.
  24. Hall, Katy (5 July 2016). "An important look inside the contents of a Halal Snack Pack". Mama Mia.
  25. "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.
  26. Frances, William Scates (June 2016). "The meteoric rise of the Halal Snack Pack: What does it all mean?". The Point Magazine.
  27. The (Un)Australian (22 July 2016). "Increase in Heart Disease Attributed to Hipsters Trying Out Halal Snack Packs". The (Un)Australian.
  28. "There's one thing you don't want to mention to Pauline Hanson". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  29. "A Sydney restaurant has invented a vegan Pauline Hanson Halal Snack Pack". timeout.com. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  30. Young, Matt (18 July 2016). "Melbourne restaurant creates Aussie version of Pauline Hanson-inspired Halal Snack Pack". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2018. Original title: 'Pauline Hanson's not going to like this'{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  31. 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.
  32. "Macquarie Dictionary". Macquariedictionary.com.au. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  33. "The AB at Blue & White Café North Adelaide". Gourmantic. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  34. "Where is Adelaides Best AB?". WeekendNotes. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  35. Hough, Andrew. (14 July 2005). "Rivals Lay Claim to the 'Absolutely Beautiful' - Cafe's Messy Meal Turns Into a Title Fight", The Advertiser, p29.
  36. McCann, James (23 April 2016). "Who Makes Adelaide's Best AB?", Rip It Up, Adelaide. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016.

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

Further reading
External video
video icon "The world's biggest halal snack-pack". Sunrise.
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