Salsi shawarma

A Salsi shawarma, or Salsi hot box (: Shawarma salispuediense, : الشاورما سالسي / shāwarmā sālsi) is a Sierran dish that is a variety of hot box developed in Salsipuedes, Pacífico Norte, as the cross-cultural product of, , and Sierran cuisines. Like other hot boxes, it is a dish with rice as the primary base, and mixed with other ingredients, and a common item. Salsi shawarma is prepared with a bed of rice, topped with meat (typically chicken or beef) carved off a vertical, and garnished with dill pickles, , and shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. It has traditionally been accompanied and served with, , garlic , and or  at fast food establishments.

One of the most iconic and internationally known Sierran dishes, the dish was originally developed and eaten in the Northern Pacifican city of Salsipuedes in the early 1950s by Lebanese immigrants to the Los Pacíficos, before its popularity spread across the border, into mainland Sierra, becoming a prominent fast food dish. In Sierra, it is typically sold at diners, Middle Eastern restaurants, and to a lesser extent, Mexican restaurants due to its dual influences and origin. Like other hot boxes, salsi shawarma is traditionally packaged in styrofoam containers, and is known for its high calorie and fat count, a fact which has led to the derisive nickname, "Heart tickers". Health-conscious versions of the salsi shawarma has been developed, including vegetarian or vegan variations. National food chains including Richie's Hot Boxes, Del Toro, and Fifi's sell mass-produced, commercial salsi shawarma.

History
There has been dispute on who created the original shawarma cooked in the "Salsipuedes-style", but it was agreed upon that the dish was created independently by different owners and vendors of Levantine descent, in the city of Salsipuedes, Ensenada, and. A popular origin story attributes the creation to restauranteur Farid Hakim, a Lebanese immigrant who opened his restaurant in Salsipuedes in 1952. On day, disappointed with customer turnout, in attempt to attract the native Mexican community, he promoted shawarma dishes which included salsa, beans, and cheese, and wrapped them into rolls similar to using pita. Other restaurants have claimed to be the original inventor of the Salsi shawarma, with some Mexican restaurants selling shawarma using pork. There are some notable differences between historical Salsi shawarma and the modern version. The original shawarma was not eaten with rice, but was instead, eaten in the traditional roll. In addition, the cheese utilized in Salsipuedes and other towns was white cheese, usually with, , or , as opposed to the yellow cheeses favored in the North. Mexican herbs were also heavily incorporated, including, , and. Although most Lebanese immigrants are Christian who do not observe, pork shawarma is virtually non-existent within Middle Eastern establishments, and primarily sold at some Mexican stores as.

During the 1960s, Los Pacíficos became an attractive, popular tourist destination for Sierrans, especially those nearby in the Southwest Corridor. Exposure to salsi shawarma led to its adoption back up north, and various restaurants began carrying menus with the dish in order to capitalize on its emerging popularity. The modern "hot box" variation of the Salsi shawarma was first sold at a family-owned business in Santa Monica which substituted the pita roll for a serving size of rice. Packaged into a styrofoam container, this seemingly convenient repurposing of the dish coincided with the rise of similar hot box-dishes, and the Salsi shawarma version's prevalence in Sierran eateries skyrocketed.

Recipe and ingredients
The basic recipe for Salsi shawarma calls for rice (usually ), shawarma-prepared meat, cheese, and pico de gallo salsa. Traditional Salsi shawarma demands the following ingredients:


 * Rice: The base of the dish. The rice is generally rendered as Spanish rice which involves the rice in a skillet, along with chicken broth, chopped onions, tomatoes, and seasoning. The primary cultivars used are either  or, the two main rices used in Sierra. Other variations forgo cooking the rice as Spanish rice, and use Middle Eastern cultivars to achieve a taste closer to Levantine cooking.
 * Shawarma: Prepared by stacking strips of pre-seasoned meat on a vertically-oriented spit. The spit is placed over a heated plate which cooks the meat evenly (similar to a ). After thorough cooking, the meat is shaved off the spit with a large knife, and the droppings are collected below on the disk plate. The two most common meat used for the shawarma is chicken or beef, although the latter can be substituted with .
 * Cheese: In most commercial establishments, the choice of cheese is often a blended mix of Monterey Jack, cheddar, and parmesan. Traditional interpretations closer to the originally created Salsi shawarma use Mexican cheeses such as cojita or queso fresco.

In addition to the main ingredients, shawarma is accompanied with a large slice of, , garlic , and fried potatoes (in the form of French fries or . Thinly sliced dill pickles, pickled radishes, or may also be eaten. Typically, the recommended way to eat the Salsi shawarma is to tear a piece of the pita and use it as a wrap. With the pita, one would clamp a chunk of meat and rice, before dipping the wrapped contents into the hummus or mayonnaise. After being sauced, the piece is ready to be eaten. Once one finishes the pita, traditionally, one would mix the remaining hummus into the Salsi shawarma for enhanced flavor.

Variations
There are several variations of Salsi shawarma, most of which involve the inclusion of ingredients like sliced, , s, or. Some restaurants replace the rice with marinated noodles, while others omit the cheeses. Salsi wraps are essentially burritos or tacos made with either tortilla (flour or corn) or pita that incorporate the main ingredients of Salsi shawarma. Salsi wraps typically infuse special hummus and garlic mayonnaise sauce into the wraps. Homemade Salsi shawarmas tend to be simpler and of smaller portions, and may consist of simply rice and shawarma meat.