kapsalon
{{short description|Dutch fast food dish}}
{{use dmy dates |date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Kapsalon
| image = Kapsalon dutch meal.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = A serving of Dutch Kapsalon
| alternate_name =
| country = Netherlands
| region = Rotterdam
| creator = Nataniël ”Tati” Gomes
| course =
| type = Fast food
| served =
| main_ingredient = fries, meat (döner or gyro), Gouda cheese, salad vegetables
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
Kapsalon ({{IPA|nl|ˈkɑpsaːˌlɔn|-|nl-kapsalon.ogg}}) is a fast food dish created in 2003 in the Netherlands. It consists of a layer of french fries placed into a disposable metal take-away tray, topped with döner, shawarma 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/culinair-moordwapen~bc8d79e6/ |title=Culinair moordwapen |author=Sterre Lindhout |website=Volkskrant |date=14 September 2011 |language=Dutch |trans-title=Culinary lethal weapon}} The term kapsalon is Dutch for "hairdressing salon" or barber shop, alluding to the inventor's place of work.{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/07/kapsalon_quesadillas/ |title=Post-pub nosh deathmatch: Kapsalon v quesadillas |author=Lester Haines |website=The Register |date=7 October 2011}} 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
{{external media
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| video1 = [https://youtube.com/watch?v=HHni99n0pyQ The pinnacle of Dutch cuisine]— 2022 short film on kapsalon history with interview of El Aviva owner Derwis Bengu and neighbouring hairdresser Nataniël Gomes
}}
The dish was conceived in 2003 by Nataniël Gomes, who was 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 to regularly 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1038/Rotterdam/article/detail/2312207/2006/08/23/Caloriebom-Kapsalon-erg-lekker.dhtml |title=Caloriebom Kapsalon: erg lekker! |publisher=Algemeen Dagblad |date=23 August 2006 |language=Dutch |trans-title=Caloric bomb Kapsalon: very tasty! |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630122014/http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1038/Rotterdam/article/detail/2312207/2006/08/23/Caloriebom-Kapsalon-erg-lekker.dhtml |archive-date=30 June 2015 |url-status=dead}} Gomes reached a measure of international popularity; he died in 2023, aged 47.{{cite news |url=https://nos.nl/l/2483044 |publisher=NOS |accessdate=16 July 2023 |date=16 July 2023 |language=nl |title=Bedenker van de 'kapsalon' op 47-jarige leeftijd overleden}} The dish has since spread around the Netherlands and into Belgium,{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115165419/http://www.vandaag.be/lifestyle/86289_nieuwste-kebabhit-het-kapsalon-verovert-vlaanderen.html |url=http://www.vandaag.be/lifestyle/86289_nieuwste-kebabhit-het-kapsalon-verovert-vlaanderen.html |title=Nieuwste kebabhit 'het kapsalon' verovert Vlaanderen |date=21 December 2011 |website=vandaag.be |archive-date=15 January 2012 |language=nl|trans-title=Newest kebab-hit 'Kapsalon' conquers Flanders}} and several other countries in at least three continents.{{cite web |url=https://www.metronieuws.nl/eten-drinken/2018/08/oerhollandse-snack-kapsalon-verovert-de-wereld/ |title='Oerhollandse' snack kapsalon verovert de wereld |date=23 August 2018 |website=metronieuws.nl |language=nl|trans-title="Traditionally Dutch" snack kapsalon conquers the world |author=Jelmer Visser |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102181557/https://www.metronieuws.nl/eten-drinken/2018/08/oerhollandse-snack-kapsalon-verovert-de-wereld/ |archive-date=2 November 2021}} 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".{{cite web |url=http://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/1492/Kapsalon-is-cultureel-erfgoed-van-toekomst |title=Kapsalon is cultureel erfgoed van toekomst |author=Leo Roubos |website=RTV Rijnmond |date=14 September 2011 |language=nl|trans-title=Kapsalon is cultural heritage of the future}} It has also been described as a "calorie bomb" and "culinary lethal weapon", with high fat content and up to {{convert|1800|kcal|kJ|-2}} in a large serving.
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, most Polish towns and cities (including Warsaw, Poznań and Kraków), in Prague, Czech Republic, cities in Latvia (including Riga, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Sigulda){{Cite web |title=KAPSALONS |url=https://lemongrass.lv/produkts/kapsalons/ |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=Lemongrass |language=lv}}{{Cite web |title=Kebabfactory |url=https://sigulda.kebabfactory.lv/ |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=sigulda.kebabfactory.lv}} in Oulu, Finland,{{cite web |title=Lekker61 |url=https://www.lekker61oulu.com/ |access-date=31 August 2023 |website=lekker61oulu.com |language=fi}} and in Brașov, Romania.{{Cite web |title=Extra Bite |url=https://www.afibrasov.ro/brands/food-drinks/extra-bite/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=AFI Brasov |language=ro-RO}} It has been found in Morocco and Cardiff in Wales as well.{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=Ed |date=2022-02-21 |title=The best chips you can eat in Cardiff right now |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/best-chips-you-can-eat-23165931 |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=Wales Online}}
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".{{cite web |url=https://www.bnr.nl/nieuws/internationaal/10332981/kapsalon-is-een-feestje-in-nepalese-mond |date=8 November 2017 |title=Kapsalon is 'een feestje' in Nepalese mond |language=nl |trans-title=Kapsalon is "a party" in Nepalese mouths |author=Wesley Schouwenaars |website=BNR.nl}} In Vientiane, Laos, similar adaptations of the kapsalon have emerged, featuring alternatives such as tuna and beef to accommodate local culinary preferences.{{cite web |url=https://www.ad.nl/rotterdam/kapsalon-zelfs-in-laos-te-eten~a3274492/ |date=17 October 2018 |title=Kapsalon zelfs in Laos te eten |language=nl |trans-title=Kapsalon can even be eaten in Laos |author=Rolf Eijgenraam |website=AD.nl}}
Frietje kapsalon.jpg|People sharing a kapsalon
Shoarmazaak El-Aviva Schiedamseweg-22A Rotterdam Delfshaven.jpg|El-Aviva, where the kapsalon was created
See also
{{portal|Food|Netherlands}}
- {{anl|Carne asada fries}}
- {{anl|Chorrillana}}
- {{anl|Halal snack pack}}
- {{anl|Mitraillette}}
- {{anl|Poutine}}
- {{anl|Yaroa}}
- List of meat and potato dishes
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline|Kapsalon (food)}}
{{Potato dishes}}
{{Street food}}
{{Culture in Rotterdam}}