How to make a real Rotterdam Kapsalon (and it’s easy!)
Rotterdammers are no wimps. Right? Exactly. Hague bluff? Forget it. Utrecht tea stains? I don’t think so. And the way they eat herring in 020? Rotterdammers really want nothing to do with that. So it’s no surprise that the Kapsalon originated in Rotterdam. Fortunately, you can now eat it almost everywhere – and make it deliciously at home too.
For anyone who thinks a Kapsalon is really only about hair (huh, really?): a Kapsalon is a dish of fries covered with shawarma, topped with grilled cheese and salad, served with garlic sauce and sambal. And yes, it’s fantastic – I’m not the only one who thinks so; in recent years, the Kapsalon has been embraced far beyond Rotterdam. All because, in 2003, the owner of a hair salon on Schiedamseweg regularly ordered this delicacy as his favorite lunch from shawarma restaurant El Aviva.
Kapsalon takes a trip around the world
Apparently, people in Belgium looked across the border, because about ten years ago a similar snack appeared there: the ‘mitraillette’, a baguette filled with meat, fries and sauce, optionally topped with salad and cheese. This crazy but oh-so-delicious combination also caught on on the other side of the world. In Australia, our Kapsalon is called a ‘halal snack pack’, and they add jalapeños and hummus on request. In 2017, the Kapsalon even became a brief hit in Kathmandu, when a Nepalese chef introduced the dish there after visiting the Netherlands.
Making it yourself isn’t difficult. You’ll find the easy version below.
How to make a real Rotterdam Kapsalon
- Prepare the fries in the oven, Airfryer or deep fryer according to the instructions on the package.
- Fry the shawarma strips in a sauté pan for 8 minutes until cooked through and nicely browned.
- Place the fries on a plate, or for that real snack-bar feeling: put them in an aluminum container and arrange the shawarma on top.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese and let it melt briefly under the oven grill.
- Garnish the dish with some iceberg lettuce, slices of tomato and cucumber, and add garlic sauce and sambal to taste. Gers!
More delicious food from Rotterdam
Kapsalon isn’t the only delicious thing people eat in Rotterdam. There’s also the ‘broodje koeientiet’ and the blood sandwich. You’ll find these and many more delicacies from Rotterdam and the surrounding area in the Kookboek van Rotterdam.
Title: Kook van Rotterdam
Author: Karen Groeneveld
Price: €12,50
Publisher: Het Zwarte Schaap
Read also:
- Nine snack names you need to know
- Kapsalon extravaganza de luxe: with lobster!
- 5 x the tastiest snacks from the Airfryer
