Halal snack pack
|
Halal snack packs from King Kebab House in Campbelltown, Sydney, Australia | |
| 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, cheese, sauce (Holy Trinity Sauces: garlic, chilli, barbeque or hommus) |
| Variations | Adelaide AB |
 Cookbook: Halal Snack Pack (HSP)  Media: Halal Snack Pack (HSP) | |
A Halal Snack Pack (commonly referred to as a HSP) is a dish consisting of halal-certified doner kebab meat (typically beef, but also chicken and lamb),[1][2] chips, and one or more sauces such as chilli, garlic and barbecue.[2][3] Yoghurt, cheese, jalapeño peppers, and/or hummus are common additions. The halal snack pack dish originated in Sydney, Australia[4] as a culinary fusion of Middle-Eastern and European cuisine. It is typically served in a foam container, and has been described as a staple dish of takeaway kebab shops in Australia.[3][5] In March 2016 the average, or "standard" price of a halal snack pack was AUD $10.[3]
Etymology
Some Australian restaurant menus refer to the dish as a "snack box" or "mixed plate", rather than as a "halal snack pack".[3]
The Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society
The Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society is a Facebook group established in December 2015 and founded by Luke Eagles that is dedicated exclusively to the halal snack pack.[2] Four additional contributors were involved in the ideation for the site.[2] After its establishment, the group had 16,000 members sign on in its first month, and had almost 90,000 members in April 2016.[2][5][6] In February 2016, the group had almost 40,000 "likes" on Facebook.[2] The site encourages users to post reviews of halal snack packs they consume at various restaurants and kebab shops throughout Australia.[2][7] The reviews sometimes include images of the dish, and are typically based upon the criteria of meat, chips and sauce quality, halal signage, packaging, price and the greeting diners receive, all of which are based upon a scale of 1–10.[2][3][6] As of March 2016, the site refers to the "standard" price of a halal snack pack as AUD $10.[3]
One of the goals of the group is to identify the potential for the world's best halal snack pack.[5] The group has derided Australian groups from the far-right who have called for boycotts of halal foods.[2] The Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society also raises funds to support the Australian Relief Organisation, an organization that assists underprivileged people to attain cataract surgery and assists orphanages with matters regarding water supplies.[7]
The group has Muslim and non-Muslim members, who refer to one another as "brothers and sisters".[5] Members of the group use specific lingo on the site.[2] For example, users use the terms "halal" to refer to permissible or "good" halal snack packs and "haram" for forbidden, or "bad" ones.[2] Those that hold a specific kebab shop in very high regard may refer to it as "the place of Jannah", which is an Islamic phrase meaning "eternal paradise".[2] Users on the site have been derided by other users at times for putting tomato sauce or salad on the dish, which the site discourages, referring to such users as "haram dingos".[2][5][8] The site also states that such users who add tomato sauce or salad may be banned from the group.[5]
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.[6]
Some kebab shops and restaurants have realized significantly increased sales after being reviewed on the group's Facebook page.[5] For example, Metro One in the inner west area of Sydney realized revenue increases of over 75% after being featured on the site as purveying one of the best halal snack packs in the city.[5]
Similar dishes
The Adelaide AB is a very similar dish, which is prepared using gyro meat, chips, tomato sauce, chili sauce, barbecue sauce and garlic sauce.[9][10] The dish is sometimes accompanied with the consumption of alcoholic beverages.[9] Two restaurants in Adelaide have claimed to have invented the dish: the North Adelaide Burger Bar and Blue & White.[9][11] The dish is named after the term "afterbirth", which it has been stated as resembling.[9] It may be consumed as a shared dish, with the meal being placed at the center of a table.[11]
See also
References
- ↑ Pawsey, Rosa K. (2002). "Case Studies in Food Microbiology for Food Safety and Quality". Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 109. ISBN 0854046267.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Peters, Peters (February 16, 2016). "The Facebook group where kebab lovers rate their ultimate snack pack". Daily Mail. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Your Local Kebab Shop Is Now Trending, Introducing Your New Facebook Group Obsession". MTV. March 14, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ↑ Michael Safi. "The halal snack pack: a fast track to a heart attack? Or worse?". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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.
- 1 2 3 "Senator rates halal snack pack a 10". Sky News Australia. March 17, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- 1 2 "Pilgrims heading for Halal snack pack Mecca". DailyTelegraph. March 11, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Halal snack pack: bridging cultures or a recipe for radicalisation? – video". the Guardian. July 3, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 "Macquarie Dictionary". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ↑ "The AB at Blue & White Café North Adelaide". Gourmantic. January 24, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- 1 2 "Where is Adelaides Best AB?". WeekendNotes. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
Further reading
- Romaine, Rose (April 6, 2016). "The Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society Is Uniting Australia With Kebab Meat". Vice. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
External links
- Media related to Halal snack pack at Wikimedia Commons