Kapsalon () is a
fast food
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...
dish created in 2003 in the
Dutch city of
Rotterdam, consisting of a layer of
french fries
French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips ( Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. Th ...
placed into a disposable metal take-away tray, topped with
döner or
gyro meat, covered with slices of
Gouda cheese, and heated in an oven until the cheese melts. Then a layer of shredded
iceberg lettuce is added, dressed with
garlic sauce and
sambal, a
hot sauce from
Indonesia, a former Dutch colony.
The term ''kapsalon'' is
Dutch for "
hairdressing salon
A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...
" or ''barber shop'', alluding to one of the inventors of the dish who worked as a hairdresser. The dish is a product of Dutch multiculturalism, combining elements of dishes from multiple cultures. The dish has spread internationally in a relatively short time.
Invention and spread
The dish was conceived in 2003 by Nathaniël Gomes, a
Cape Verdean hairdresser in the Rotterdam district of
Delfshaven, who one day at the neighboring shawarma store "El Aviva" asked to combine all his favorite ingredients into one dish. He began regularly to request what the restaurant called "the usual order for the ''kapsalon''". Other customers noticed and started to order the ''kapsalon'' too, and it became a "hit", soon being demanded in nearby snack bars.
The dish has since spread around the Netherlands into Belgium, and several other countries in at least three continents.
In some places the shawarma meat may be replaced with chicken, or
doner kebab meat. The ''kapsalon'' has been described as "a typical example of contemporary cultural heritage", and "representative of the transnational nature of the city".
It has also been described as a "calorie bomb" and "culinary lethal weapon", with high fat content and up to in a large serving.
The ''kapsalon'' reached the Nepalese capital city of
Kathmandu in 2017, when a chef returning from a visit to the Netherlands was asked to prepare a "typically Dutch" meal. Now chicken or fish replace the shawarma meat, and a porcelain plate substitutes for the metal tray, but the ''kapsalon'' has become fashionable, with many people posting photos and a prominent food blogger describing the dish as "a party in her mouth with her favorite tastes".
''Kapsalon'' is a standard menu item in Belgian döner restaurants, both in
Flanders and
Wallonia. Various Turkish restaurants throughout Germany serve the dish, especially in larger cities.
The dish can be found in other cities throughout Europe as well, such as major Polish cities (including
Warsaw,
Poznan and
Kraków), in
Prague, Czech Republic,
cities in Latvia (including
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
,
Jelgava,
Jūrmala,
Sigulda)
in
Oulu
Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...
, Finland. It has been found in Morocco as well.
See also
*
Carne asada fries
Carne asada fries are a local specialty found on the menus of restaurants primarily in the American Southwest, including San Diego, where it originated. The dish is also served at Petco Park and Dodger Stadium. By 2015, fast food chain Del Taco ...
*
Chorrillana
Chorrillana is a dish consisting of a plate of French fries topped with different types of sliced meat, sausages and other ingredients, most commonly scrambled or fried eggs, and fried onions.
Because of its large size, it is usually served as ...
*
Gyros
*
Halal snack pack
*
Mitraillette
A ''mitraillette'' (, literally "submachine gun") is a type of sandwich in Belgium commonly served at friteries and cafés. It is popular among students.
It is thought to have originated in Brussels, but is also popular in Flanders, Wallonia, a ...
*
Poutine
References
External links
*
{{Culture in Rotterdam
Food and drink introduced in 2003
Fast food
Street food
Dutch fusion cuisine
Dutch words and phrases
Rotterdam
Meat dishes
French fries