A Turkish doner kebab man - Turkey goes to war with Germany over doner
  kebabs

  Turkey is trying to secure legal protection for the original doner -
  Getty Images/Nicole Tung

  The doner kebab, an omnipresent sight on German streets, has come to
  epitomise the influence of Turkish immigrants on their adoptive
  homeland.

  But now, an attempt by Turkey to secure legal protection for the
  original doner could put a skewer through the future of Germany’s
  favourite fast food.

  The [1]European Commission has given Berlin and Ankara until the spring
  to settle a dispute over who gets to decide what makes a doner a doner.

  What both sides can agree upon is that the meal consists of meat packed
  onto a rotisserie and slowly roasted in front of a grill.

  But from that point on opinions diverge wildly.

  Ankara insists that a true doner can only be made of chicken, lamb, or
  beef from a cow that is at least 18 months old, and which has been
  marinated in yogurt and herbs. The Turkish variety is also served on a
  plate with chips and hot peppers.

  The [2]doner kebab sold on German street corners tends to be made of
  veal packed into a flatbread sandwich and given a Teutonic twist: a
  garnish of raw cabbage.

  In April, Ankara applied to register the Turkish version of the doner
  as its “Traditional Speciality Guaranteed” (TSG), granting it the same
  level of protection in the EU to that of champagne from France,
  Neapolitan pizza from Italy or Serrano ham from Spain.

  Outraged, Germany lodged a legal complaint in July.

  If Brussels sides with Ankara, which can apply for the status despite
  not being a full EU member, Germany’s doner houses will have to start
  preparing their meals according to Turkish standards, or change the
  name completely.

  Ankara’s plans have led to uproar in Germany, where over a billion
  doner sandwiches are sold every year, making the fast food more popular
  than homegrown snacks like currywurst or leberkäse.

  “The doner belongs to Germany. Everyone should be allowed to decide for
  themselves how it is prepared and eaten here,” insisted Cem Özdemir,
  Germany’s food and agriculture minister, who himself has Turkish roots.

  “There’s no need for guidelines from Ankara,” wrote Mr Özdemir in
  social media post in which he posed in front of a sign reading “döner
  macht schöner,” or “doner makes you more beautiful”.

  The Association of German Doner Makers lodged a formal complaint with
  the EU in April against the Turkish case.

  It told The Telegraph the kebab “has undergone significant further
  development in Germany over the decades” and that the “rigid” Turkish
  rules would impede further innovations in the doner market.

  Omen Aslan, 30, was carefully slicing tendrils of meat off the
  rotisserie at “Kebap Haus” in east Berlin, when The Telegraph paid him
  a visit. Mr Aslan said the donor had become wildly popular in Germany
  because it provided a fast meal at a low price with fresh ingredients.

  “It is because of the fresh ingredients and the great taste – and
  because we always make it with love,” he said of his Kurdish-style
  kebabs.

  A German doner

  A German doner, something that looks quite tasty, but does not go down
  well with the Turkish government - AFP/Ina Fassbender

  As with most doner kiosks, the pandemic and rising cost of living has
  forced Kepab Haus to hike its prices, a necessary step according to Mr
  Aslan as securing fresh ingredients is essential.

  “If you want to eat a lovely kebab you have to use fresh ingredients,”
  he stressed.

  He said he was opposed to any EU rules being introduced that would
  tighten the definition of what makes a doner.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea because all kebabs have a different
  style and start,” he said. “It’s a different sauce and garnish from
  what we use with kebabs.”

  The origins of the German doner are disputed, with both Berlin and the
  small southern town of Reutlingen claiming to be the birthplace of the
  meaty treat.

  What is not in doubt, though, is that the meal was first cooked up by
  an entrepreneur among the millions of Turkish immigrants who came to
  fill labour gaps in Germany’s booming industry in the 1960s.

  Since then, close to 20,000 doner houses and kiosks have sprung up
  across the country, with some 1,800 in Berlin alone.

  Doner sales across Europe amount to some €3.5 billion (around £2.9
  billion) per year, with €2.3 billion spent (£1.9 billion) in Germany.

  More recently, the “German doner” has even become [3]an international
  brand, with fast food chains marketing the German version of the meal
  in cities from London to New York.

  Germans even coined the term “donerflation” to mark the [4]surge in the
  price of a kebab during the cost of living crisis, illustrating just
  how central the kebab has become to their national diet.

  Whereas most doner houses sold the snack for under €4 before the
  Russian invasion of Ukraine, prices have since shot up to over €6.

  After social media users started a campaign for a “doner price brake,”
  Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, even got involved.

  Saying he was “surprised” by the number of people asking him to
  intervene to make [5]doner more affordable again, Mr Scholz
  disappointed followers of his TikTok channel with the news that he
  would not subsidise the price of the popular snack.

  [6]Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The
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References

  1. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/european-commission/
  2. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/kebab-recipes/
  3. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/columnists/german-doner-kebab-british-fast-food-staple/
  4. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/06/doner-kebab-becomes-latest-hot-potato-in-german-politics/
  5. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/01/german-kebab-10-euros-cost-of-living-crisis/
  6. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/subscribe/01doysa/