Chancellor Olaf Scholz is tired of his fellow Germans asking the same questions everywhere he goes, especially when he chats with young people. The most surprising thing is that housing is not the topic of endless conversation that the social democratic leader is tripping over. Even the war in Ukraine. It’s not migration, CO2 or energy. No way. What they ask him again and again is the price. rotary kebabs. And if the Administration puts a stop to this so it doesn’t get even more expensive, especially after the 75 percent increase in recent years.

There is already talk of “revolving inflation” in Germany.

And the issue is so serious that it has now become a state matter.

“I pay eight euros for one” rotary“. This was the strange complaint made by a young man to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last year. Although it may seem like a simple anecdote, it summarizes very well an issue that plagues national politics: “revolving inflation”. Price rotary Kebabs have increased greatly in the Federal Republic. Too much. And fast. Too fast.

So much so that Scholz knows that wherever he goes, he always encounters someone who conveys the same concern to him: “If there were no brakes on prices… rotary“There are people in Germany who think so.

75% increase. Figures show that eating a kebab in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt or any other German city is much more expensive today than it was a few years ago. There are those who say that the average price of these delicacies increased by around 75 percent in a few years. In July Country prepared a report on the increase in prices rotary The Germans noted that by that time its cost had increased from four or five euros to six, seven and even ten euros, as claimed in Frankfurt. And it all happened in a year and a half. Newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau He assures that in Munich they already cost 8.53 euros.

There are more references. Lately Guardian focused on the same phenomenon and talked to the salesperson Deniz. they return He works at a newsstand in Berlin. The cost of roast sandwiches, pita bread, chopped vegetables and sauce has increased significantly in just two years: from 3.9 to seven. And he ruefully assures: “People talk to us all the time about ‘Derflation’, as if we’re fooling them, but that’s out of our control.”

“Talk to Putin”. The real question is… Is Deniz right? How do you explain the huge increase in kebab prices? Analyzes of the phenomenon of “revolutionary inflation” usually point to a number of causes; A cocktail of factors that sends the prices of a food skyrocketing – as some warn – at “too low” prices for hours and hours more. low-wage work and low profit margins. One of the keys to this price increase is the war in Ukraine. In fact, the young man who complained to Scholz in July 2023 also called on him to “talk to Putin” to make kebabs cheaper.

“With the war, raw material prices rose rapidly, and we must take into account that grills use a lot of gas,” he noted. Country Eberhard Seidel, author of the book ‘Döner: A Turkish-German Cultural History’. Chefs are also concerned with other factors outside the industry that affect their costs, such as rent prices, energy, food and minimum wage increases.

“Rotaryflation” also brings with it a very specific macroeconomic scenario that points to rising prices: Germany closed 2023 with the second-highest inflation in decades since the reunification years, with a rate of 2.2% in 2020, Statistiches Bundesamt reported days ago He had predicted. April.

But… Is it that serious? This rotary Rapidly increasing prices of kebabs tell us about the German economy but do not explain it by himself The issue became a state matter there. If this happened, it is due to another equally important factor: the Germans’ immense and insatiable love for these snacks of Turkish origin.

The numbers are once again striking. Guardian He assures that about 1.3 billion are consumed every year in the country. they return. In fact, 400,000 people would be swallowed every day in Berlin alone. Other sources speak of 18,000 outlets spread across the country, an industry worth over 7 billion euros, and hundreds of tons of kebabs being devoured every day. After all, these dishes are fast, convenient, tasty, easily affordable and until recently were a fairly economical way to satisfy hunger.

As important as housing. “HE rotary It is part of the German identity. The reaction to the price increase has been a bit dramatic, but it’s understandable when you consider how cheaply a meal consisting of 150 or 200 grams of meat, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, salt and bread can be made,” points out Seidel.

From this point of view, it is not surprising that “Derflation” is far from an anecdotal issue or a simple curiosity of the German economy and cuisine. The best evidence of this comes from the comments of Scholz or Hanna Steinmüller, a member of the Greens who, although not characterized by her support for meat consumption in Germany, does not hesitate to enter into controversy.

“It’s now as important a question for young people as where to move when they leave home,” Steinmüller said in a speech to parliament earlier this year. “I know that this is not an everyday topic for many people here, and this is it. It’s ridiculous.” It is something that can happen, but as representatives of the voters, we have to bring these different perspectives to the fore. In the background, there is a debate about whether to take action against “Derflation” and, if so, how to act.

From “Dönerflation”… to “Dönerpreisbremse”“. The debate has reached enough political importance that there are already parties proposing a way to stop it. One of the proposals put on the table and causing controversy is the “Dönerpreisbremse”, that is, a ceiling or brake on prices. rotary kebabs.

“Food should not be allowed to become a luxury item,” says Kathi Gebel, spokeswoman for the left-wing party Die Linke. The idea is to transfer a system of limitations to food that is no longer alien in housing today. Even references are overlooked in the training: maximum price per meal is 4.9 euros; this price could drop to 2.9 euros, especially in the case of younger consumers with lower income levels.

Subsidized kebabs. Idea, they return under five euros. Although this requires the deployment of high-level public funds. Newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau Noting that Die Linke proposed a system that subsidizes kebab prices with coupons, this idea attracted attention in media outlets both in the country and abroad. Guardian anyone Telegram.

And this is largely due to what this mechanism will represent for the coffers that are supposed to fund it. The London newspaper states that if the 1.3 billion kebabs consumed in the country every year are taken as a reference, a program with these features could cost 4 billion euros annually.

Merkel and kebab. The idea of ​​Die Linke does not convince everyone, and there are those who see it more suitable for “satire parties”. Scholz himself showed that he was not convinced by the idea of ​​​​limiting kebabs in 2023, when he received a complaint from a young man who was upset about kebab prices, urging him to “talk to Putin”. they return: “We live in a market economy, but thanks to the good work of the European Central Bank, young people can expect inflation to fall.”

The question of how the kebab crisis and the “Dönerinflation” will develop remains open. For now, there are people on the networks clamoring for the return of Angela Merkel. The reason: Germany, its advocates claim, “notwithstanding” rotary under control”.

Pictures | GeorgeTan#5 (Flickr) and Mikaelsoderberg (Flickr)

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