Doner kebab, 'apple of quarrel' between Turkey and Germany!
With the Turkish government demanding that the doner kebab be recognized as a Turkish specialty, everyone's favorite late-night food is the main topic of discussion in Germany at the moment. If there's one thing that unites Berliners, it's an appetite for doner kebabs. Office workers looking for a quick lunch, kids on their way home from school, late night revelers crossing their paths between meeting places, all regularly stop at one of the city's many kebab shops.
What lures hungry Berliners is the spice-rubbed beef, cooked on vertical skewers, thinly sliced and piled into pita bread with crunchy salad, often slathered in garlic-infused sour cream. It's a German take on the traditional Turkish doner kebab, the same meat served on a plate with rice and salad.
However, if the Turkish government has its way, every doner shop in Germany, more than 1,000 of them in Berlin alone, according to Visit Berlin, could soon be banned from selling doner kebabs under that name. In a recent application to the European Commission, the Turkish government requested that the doner kebab be recognized as a Turkish specialty, which was born and developed in what is today Turkey. This would give it the same status as Italy's Neapolitan pizza or Spain's Serrano ham. Only kebabs that adhere to strict criteria can be called a doner kebab, and Berlin's more mobile version wouldn't pass the test.
Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMIL) was one of 11 organizations to lodge an objection. "We have regarded the application from Turkey with some surprise," a spokesman said in a statement to the BBC.
"Döner kebab is part of Germany and the variety of methods of its preparation reflects the diversity of our country, this must be preserved," the statement continued. "In the interest of the many fans in Germany, we are committed to ensuring that the doner kebab remains as it is prepared and eaten here."
The Berlin version of the döner, which has since been embraced in Germany, was born in the early 1970s, according to Visit Berlin. Two separate men claim its creation. The humble döner is estimated to generate annual sales of around 2.3 billion euros in Germany alone and 3.5 billion euros across Europe, according to the Berlin-based Turkish Döner Producers Association. Its accessible price point has made it a vehicle for political points: earlier this year the left-wing German party Die Linke urged the government to introduce a Dönerpreisbremse, or maximum, price cap. (The government refused.)
Elevating this humble sandwich to a daily basis was a remarkable achievement by a generation of Turkish men. However, not everyone believes in a strictly defined model. Culinary historian Mary Işın, who has written extensively on the history of Turkish cuisine, says she has seen döner evolve over the decades she has lived in Turkey.
According to the researchers, the phrase "döner kebab" does not appear in an Ottoman written source until 1908, although the earliest depictions of döner kebab grilled on a horizontal spit date back to the 17th century, in two miniature paintings in a translation Turkish version of the Persian epic poem, the Shahnama.
Ottoman cuisine traditionally included a variety of kebabs or roast meats, including small pieces of mutton served on skewers (şiş kebabı) and oven-roasted meat (tandır kebabı). Döner kebab, discs of meat grilled on a rotating skewer (the name comes from the verb "dönmek", meaning "to turn"), was originally an outdoor food, popular at picnics. A clue to how it evolved comes from a 1433 account by Bertrandon de la Broquiere, a French traveler.
The European Commission has instructed the Turkish and German governments to engage in talks to find a compromise, but the fallout from any deal is likely to be felt around the world, where döner has become one of Turkey's most popular exports.
Poll
Record level of residence permits issued in the EU to third-country nationals: Who gets the most and why?
EU countries issued a record 3.7 million residence permits to third-party nationals in 2023, the highest number since data collection began in 2013. First......
Musk's support for Trump increases the value of Tesla to over 1 trillion dollars!
Tesla shares rose 8.2% last Friday, pushing its market capitalization above $1 trillion (0.93 trillion euros) for the first time in more than two years.......
Euro reaches the lowest level since the end of June against the US dollar!
The euro hit a 4-1/2-month low against the U.S. dollar as investors worried about possible U.S. tariffs that would hurt the eurozone economy. The greenback......
What are the changes in taxes required by the business? - From the reduction of VAT for food, to the infrastructure tax in construction
At the time when the budget for 2025 is being discussed and a fiscal package has not been drawn up, the Tirana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together......
Donald Trump is "enriching" young people in Albania - Dokuzi: Crypto wallets in the country have grown
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts in Albania are celebrating the victory of Donald Trump as the new president of America. In the Telegram social network, there are......
How will technology affect pension protection? - Expert: Artificial Intelligence will play an important role in informality
To help in the declaration of contributions and social insurance, according to experts, artificial intelligence will affect the elimination of informality......
Manja in CEPI's annual report: We certified 1589 real estate brokers, regulatory framework according to EU standards!
The Minister of Justice, Ulsi Manja, has shared on social networks his speech published in the annual report of CEPI (European Association of the Profession......
Olaf Scholz ready to hold the vote of confidence in the parliament before Christmas!
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is ready to hold a vote of confidence in parliament before Christmas after the three-party ruling coalition......
