Kapsalon

Invention and spread

The dish was conceived in 2003 by Nathaniël Gomes, a Cape Verdian 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, among other countries. 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 1,800 kilocalories (7,500 kJ) 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". The dish can be found in other cities throughout Europe as well, such as Riga, Latvia.