A munchy box or munchie box is an inexpensive fast food

Fast food

Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...

 product sold from take away

Take Away

Take Away is a 2003 Australian comedy movie, written by Dave O'Neil, who also features as a minor character, and Mark O'Toole. It stars Vince Colosimo, Stephen Curry, Rose Byrne and Nathan Phillips...

 restaurants primarily in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It consists of a variable assortment of different fast foods served in a large pizza box.

Ingredients and nutrition

The contents of a munchy box vary but may typically include kebab

Kebab

Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...

 meat, fried chicken

Fried chicken

Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...

, pizza

Pizza

Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...

, chicken tikka

Chicken Tikka

Chicken tikka is a chicken dish served in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. It is popular in countries all over the world. It is traditionally small pieces of boneless chicken baked using skewers, in a clay-based oven called a tandoor, after marinating in spices and yogurt.The word tikka means "bits,...

, onion rings

Onion rings

Onion rings are a form of fast food commonly found in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and some parts of Asia. They generally consist of a cross-sectional "ring" of onion dipped in batter or breading and then deep fried; a variant is made with onion paste...

, pakora

Pakora

Pakora is a fried snack found across South Asia. Pakoras are created by taking one or two ingredients such as onion, eggplant, potato, spinach, plantain, cauliflower, tomato, chilli, or occasionally bread or chicken and dipping them in a batter of gram flour and then deep-frying them...

, naan bread, garlic bread

Garlic bread

Garlic bread consists of bread topped with garlic and olive oil or butter. It is then either grilled or broiled until toasted, or baked in an oven....

, coleslaw

Coleslaw

Coleslaw, sometimes simply called slaw in some American dialects, is a salad consisting primarily of shredded raw cabbage. It may also include shredded carrots and other ingredients such as fruits and vegetables, apples, onions, green onions, peppers and various spices.-History:The term "coleslaw"...

, other fast foods and sauces. There is sometimes a salad item and, invariably, chips

French fries

French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...

.

The energy content of sample munchy boxes has been reported as 1224, 2200 and 3000 calories while their salt content was estimated to be more than double the 6g recommended maximum for an adult. While it is not clear whether a munchy box is actually intended to be consumed as a meal for one, there has been concern at the health implications if it is consumed in this way.

Criticism

The combination of very large portions and a low price has made the munchy box popular; however, its contents, consisting mostly of deep fried or fatty foods, have led to health concerns among some Scottish politicians and health campaigners, particularly if consumed by children. Glasgow City Council has undertaken nutritional analysis

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

 of munchy boxes on sale in the west of Scotland with the intention of encouraging restaurants to include healthier ingredients and reduce portion sizes

It has been suggested that such criticism perversely serves to boost the popularity of unhealthy foods, such as the munchy box and the deep-fried Mars bar

Deep-fried Mars bar

A deep-fried Mars bar is an ordinary Mars bar normally fried in a type of batter commonly used for deep-frying fish, sausages, and other battered products...

, causing their consumption to become an act of rebellion against modern trends towards healthier eating.

External links

• What is a Munchy Box?