Turkey and Germany in spicy feud over doner kebab

A spicy row has erupted between Turkey and Germany over what constitutes a doner kebab, with Berlin objecting to a Turkish push for protected status for the iconic snack.

The humble doner, made with thinly sliced meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, has its origins in Turkey but is also beloved in Germany after being introduced there by Turkish migrants.

In April, the International Doner Federation (Udofed), based in Turkey, filed an application to the European Commission to grant the doner kebab Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) status.

From the exact meat and spices to the thickness of the knife used to slice the meat, Udofed wants the definition of the doner to adhere to a strict list of criteria.

If successful, the application would bar businesses in the European Union from using the name doner kebab unless it met the criteria, giving it the same protected status as Italy’s bufala mozzarella or Spain’s Serrano ham.

In its application, Udofed hails the doner’s origins during the Ottoman Empire, citing a recipe found in manuscripts dating from 1546.

But that has sparked an uproar in Germany, where the doner has become an emblem of the country’s large Turkish community, descended from “guest workers” invited under a massive economic program in the 1960s and 70s.

The German capital even claims the doner kebab to be “a Berlin invention.”

“It happened in Berlin: Legend has it, Kadir Nurman was the first to put the meat in flatbread in 1972 and invented the version of doner that is so beloved in Germany,” according to the city’s website.

“The doner belongs to Germany. Everyone should be allowed to decide for themselves how it is prepared and eaten here. There is no need for any guidelines from Ankara,” said Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir, whose parents migrated from Turkey.

Meaty argument

Germany’s agriculture ministry viewed Turkey’s application “with astonishment”, a spokesman told AFP.

If this “imprecise” and “contradictory” proposal is accepted by the commission, “the economic consequences for the German gastronomic sector would be enormous”, the spokesman said.

The DEHOGA hotel and catering union also warned of a “lack of clarity and transparency,” “difficulties with legal definitions” and “a raft of future disputes.”

The German government lodged an objection to the Turkish application just ahead of the European deadline on Wednesday.

In Berlin, where the doner has long surpassed the sausage as the convenience snack of choice, Birol Yagci is concerned that the Turkish version only allows beef, lamb or chicken.

“Here it’s different. The traditional recipe is made with veal,” the chef at a Turkish restaurant in the city’s Kreuzberg district said.

Behind him, two columns of meat glisten on their spits, one ironically made from turkey — the bird — which would also not be allowed under the new definition.

“People eat doners all over the world. Turkey can’t just dictate to others what they should do,” said the 50-year-old.

“My customers won’t want to eat lamb. It has a very particular taste,” said Arif Keles, 39, owner of a doner kiosk, whose customers include Germany’s national football team.

Keles too said he would sooner charge the name of his products than alter his recipes.

“My customers know what they’re eating, so as long as the quality is there it doesn’t matter what you call it,” he said.

Doner diplomacy

Germany accounts for two-thirds of doner kebab sales in Europe with the market worth 2.4 billion euros ($2.6 billion) a year, according to the Association of Doner Manufacturers in Europe (ATDID).

In April, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier even took Keles with him on a visit to Turkey as a symbol of the close ties between the two countries.

Keles arrived to serve his wares at an official reception armed with a huge spit of veal, much to the “curiosity” of his guests.

“In Turkey, doner is eaten on a plate. I served it Berlin-style, on bread with sauce, and they loved it,” said the chef, whose grandfather emigrated from Turkey to Germany.

But the European Commission must now decide whether doner diversity will win the day, according to the institution’s agriculture spokesman Olof Gill.

If the objection to the Turkish application is found to be admissible, the two parties will have a maximum of six months to reach a compromise, he said.