In Spain, if you want to call it that, we have two products that can only be made according to national law: we are talking about Serrano ham and Castilleja de la Cuesta Oil Cakes. The same goes for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in Italy, for example. All of these products are certified in the EU as “traditional speciality guaranteed” (TSG). A quality regime that Turkey and Germany are at odds with. In question: the author of the döner kebab.

News. In April, Turkey asked the EU to protect the döner kebab under the ETG status. To understand this, here is the famous “protected designation of origin” applied to specific products from a geographical region, such as champagne from the homonymous region in France, but the important thing here is that it can affect everyone, from kebab shop owners to their individual recipes and of course, finally, their customers all over Germany.

The EU must decide before the end of September whether 11 objections to the application, including those of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, are justified. If so, as everything seems to suggest, Germany and Turkey will have up to six months to reach an agreement. If we continue in the same way, the European Commission will have the final say.

The origin of the Turkish doner kebab. The word döner is derived from the Turkish verb “dönmek”, meaning “to turn”. The fundamental transformation of döner kebab in Turkey occurred in the mid-19th century. It is generally attributed to a chef named İskender Efendi, who lived in the city of Bursa in the northwestern part of the country. İskender innovated by taking the meat, which was normally roasted horizontally, and placing it on a vertical spit.

This way, the meat would cook evenly as it rotated around the fire, the fat and juices would drip down, keeping the meat juicy and rich in flavor. In its original recipe, the meat was roasted for hours, made from lamb, and most importantly, sold on a plate by itself.

German bread. The history of bread in Germany is deeply rooted in its culture, with records of production dating back thousands of years to the Stone Age. Over the centuries, the country has developed an enormous variety of breads, in part due to its climate, which favours the cultivation of grains such as rye and wheat, and its political structure, which has been divided into small kingdoms and regions, which has allowed for the development of local baking traditions.

In the Middle Ages, bread became a staple food for all social classes, and over time, hundreds of varieties emerged, from dark rye bread to white wheat bread. Today, Germany is famous for its rich baking tradition, which includes more than 3,000 varieties. In fact, bread is considered a symbol of its cultural and gastronomic identity. It can be said without fear of error that where there are Germans, there is bread.

Photograph of the first kebab restaurant in Turkey (1855)

Doner is coming to Germany. In the 1970s, Turkish immigrants brought the döner to Europe, particularly Germany, where it became a major culinary phenomenon. Here, the kebab became fast food, served in pita bread with salad and various sauces. Germany soon became one of the largest consumers outside of Turkey, and the dish was adopted with local ingredients and different styles. With bread, of course.

Why? As Deniz Buchholz, one of the first Turks to land and today the owner of the Kebap With Attitude chain, recalls, “They realized that Germans love everything in bread. So they said, ‘Okay, let’s put it on a bun,’ and that’s how the Berlin-style döner kebab came about.”

Ironically, Germans’ historic taste for bread can land them in millions of euros worth of trouble.

It is a very active sector. The kebab’s status in Germany could be literally at risk if the European Commission approves Turkey’s proposal to regulate something that can legally carry the name döner kebab. It’s an industry that generates annual sales of around €2.3 billion in Germany alone and €3.5 billion in Europe overall, according to the Berlin-based European Turkish Döner Producers Association.

What do people order from kebabs in Türkiye? Turkey has asked the European Union to register “döner” as a dish specific to Turkish cuisine (although it is not part of the European Union, third parties can register the product in the bloc for protection purposes). If approved, Turkey could determine how the dish under the name should be made. What does that mean?

According to Turkey’s proposal, the beef would have to come from cattle that are at least 16 months old. The kebab would also be marinated in certain amounts of animal fat, yogurt or milk, onion, salt, thyme, black pepper, red and white pepper. Finally, the final product would be cut from a vertical skewer into pieces 3 to 5 millimeters thick. Chicken meat would be similarly regulated.

A disaster in Germany. Therefore, if approved, the typical German doner kebab, which contains vegetables, turkey or beef and is popular in the country, will no longer be allowed to be included in the scope of the application as it is not specifically mentioned, causing confusion in the German food industry.

In other words, no matter what the cut, the stronger Turkey’s grip on the popular street snack, the less Germany’s grip it will have. The increase in unit price is considered a national emergency, the business is a major source of employment in the country and a cultural icon, with some stores selling it for 50 years saying, “It is disrespectful to touch the kebab.” There are even songs dedicated to kebabs or doner kebabs with chocolate for dessert.

German reaction. As well as presenting all possible objections to the EU, the döner issue has also made political headlines in Germany, with the country’s Food Ministry saying it had “taken into account the request” and then describing the kebab as a “German dish”.

“We are determined to ensure that the döner kebab remains the way it is prepared and eaten here, in the interest of many fans in Germany,” a German spokesman told the AP. The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food also opposed the European Commission at Turkey’s request. The agency’s Federal Minister Cem Özdemir said: “Döner kebab is a German dish. Everyone should decide for themselves how it is prepared and eaten here. There is no need for guidance from Ankara.”

Time will give or take away the justifications for one of these important issues for any nation, because you don’t play with food. Germany cannot imagine and does not want to have to change the name of its döner to German sandwich, for example.

Image | Alex Kehr, AP Monblat

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