Beef and chicken glisten as they rotate slowly on vertical spits before they are carved off in razor-thin strips. Two cooks slide from a sizzling griddle to a warm toaster in a practiced dance. Mounds of fresh tomatoes, cabbage and red onions shine in a colorful tableau.
The scene at Kebap With Attitude in Berlin含羞草研究社檚 trendy Mitte neighborhood is typical of any street-side stand or restaurant where cooks pile the ingredients into pita bread to create the city含羞草研究社檚 beloved d枚ner kebab.
But the snack含羞草研究社檚 status could be in jeopardy if the European Commission approves a bid by Turkey to regulate what can legally take the d枚ner kebab name.
In the balance is an industry that generates annual sales of roughly 2.3 billion euros (nearly $2.6 billion) in Germany alone, and 3.5 billion euros (nearly $3.9 billion) across Europe, according to the Berlin-based Association of Turkish D枚ner Producers in Europe.
含羞草研究社淔rom the government to the streets, everyone is eating d枚ner kebab,含羞草研究社� Deniz Buchholz, the owner of Kebap With Attitude, said as waiters ferried steaming orders from the kitchen to hungry lunchtime customers on a rainy Monday afternoon.
The word 含羞草研究社渄枚ner含羞草研究社� is derived from the Turkish verb 含羞草研究社渄枚nmek,含羞草研究社� which means 含羞草研究社渢o turn.含羞草研究社� The meat is grilled for hours on a spit and sliced off when the meat becomes crisp and brown. In Turkey, the dish originally was made of lamb and sold only on a plate. But in the 1970s, Turkish immigrants in Berlin opted to serve it in a pita and tweak the recipe to make it special for Berliners.
含羞草研究社淭hey realized that the Germans like everything in the bread,含羞草研究社� said Buchholz, who was raised in Berlin and has Turkish roots. 含羞草研究社淎nd then they said, 含羞草研究社極K, let含羞草研究社檚 put this dish into a bread含羞草研究社� and this is how it came to d枚ner kebab Berlin-style.含羞草研究社�
In April, Turkey applied to have d枚ner kebab protected under a status called 含羞草研究社渢raditional specialty guaranteed.含羞草研究社� It含羞草研究社檚 below the vaunted 含羞草研究社減rotected designation of origin含羞草研究社� that applies to geographic region-specific products, like Champagne from its eponymous region in France, but could still impact kebab-shop owners, their individual recipes and their customers throughout Germany.
Under Turkey含羞草研究社檚 proposal, beef would be required to come from cattle that is at least 16 months old. It would be marinated with specific amounts of animal fat, yogurt or milk, onion, salt, and thyme, as well as black, red and white peppers. The final product be sliced off the vertical spit into pieces that are 3 to 5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) thick. Chicken would be similarly regulated.
The European Commission must decide by Sept. 24 whether 11 objections to the application, including from Germany含羞草研究社檚 Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, have merit. If they do, Germany and Turkey will have up to six months to hammer out a compromise. The European Commission has the final say.
含羞草研究社淲e have taken note of the application from Turkey with some astonishment,含羞草研究社� Germany含羞草研究社檚 Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture said in a statement to The Associated Press.
含羞草研究社淭he kebab is part of Germany, and the diversity of its preparation methods reflects the diversity of our country 含羞草研究社� this must be preserved. In the interests of the many fans in Germany, we are committed to ensuring that the doner kebab can remain as it is prepared and eaten here,含羞草研究社� the ministry said.
It appears that vegetables, turkey and some veal kebabs 含羞草研究社� all of which are popular in Germany 含羞草研究社� would no longer be allowed under Turkey含羞草研究社檚 application because it does not specifically mention them, causing confusion in the German food industry.
含羞草研究社淭he kebab belongs to Germany. Everyone should be allowed to decide for themselves how it is prepared and eaten here. There含羞草研究社檚 no need for guidelines from Ankara,含羞草研究社� Cem 脰zdemir, Germany含羞草研究社檚 federal food and agriculture minister who also has Turkish roots, .
Buchholz of Kebap With Attitude said he isn含羞草研究社檛 worried about possible regulations.
Although he said it might be a way to keep the quality high for the traditional d枚ner kebab 含羞草研究社� he believes it has lapsed in some places 含羞草研究社� he added that shop owners might have to harness Berlin含羞草研究社檚 legacy of creative solutions to keep their expanded menus.
含羞草研究社淲e will go the Berlin way and we含羞草研究社檒l find a solution to name it different,含羞草研究社� he said, like calling it a 含羞草研究社渧eggie sandwich.含羞草研究社�
D枚ner kebab impacts the political sphere, too. Anger over kebab costs that have risen into the double-digits led the Die Linke, the Left party, to ask German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for a 含羞草研究社減rice break含羞草研究社� that would have subsidized the street food and set a maximum price for customers. Scholz declined, but to explain that increasing food costs come in part from 含羞草研究社� which are fueled by
And German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier engaged in 含羞草研究社渄枚ner diplomacy含羞草研究社� when he brought a third-generation kebab-shop owner, as well as a full skewer of meat, to Turkey in April. The trip was the first official visit there by a German president in a decade, even as Turkey含羞草研究社檚 populist president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is seen as having instincts. Erdogan含羞草研究社檚 reputation has made some Turkish citizens who own kebab shops in Germany fearful of speaking out against the proposed regulations for fear of facing reprisals when they go home.
In its objection, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association wrote that Turkey含羞草研究社檚 proposals differ from typical German preparations for d枚ner, and that the regulations could lead to economic problems for kebab shops 含羞草研究社� as well as potential legal challenges.
The German d枚ner kebab economy should not be held to Turkish rules, the association said in a statement.
含羞草研究社淭he diversity of the kebab must be preserved,含羞草研究社� the association said.
