Histoire

Kapsalon

Barbers and deep-fried snacks

a man sitting at a table eats a fast food dish with a plastic fork, while a young boy sits beside him eating fries.

Discover the Dutch dish kapsalon and learn about its origins

par
Susan Muthalaly (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) (Europeana Foundation)

Rotterdam is home to a gorgeous harbour, no-nonsense citizens, multiculturalism and quirky architecture. What you may not know about this Dutch city is its contribution to the world's fast-food heritage –  kapsalon, meaning barbershop.

The dish is believed to have been invented by a barber from the El Aviva barbershop. He asked the Turkish lunchroom across the street to make a dish with his favourite things – shavings of kebab meat, fries, melted cheese and salad. And so kapsalon was born!

a man sitting at a table eats a fast food dish with a plastic fork, while a young boy sits beside him eating fries.
a man wearing a cloth tweed flat-cap eats a fast food dish in foil with a plastic fork.
two men eat fast food dishes from plates in a small cafe, plates and crockery are in the foreground with two large yellow bottles on the counter beside them.

These photographs are part of a series by Dutch photographer Joris den Blaauwen. He was commissioned by Museum Rotterdam to document snack and fast-food culture in the city.

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