Turkish kebab business worth 2.3 billion euros is in danger in Germany

Beef and chicken They shine as they slowly spin on vertical spits before being cut into razor-thin strips. Two cooks slide from a sizzling pan into a hot toaster in a rehearsed dance. Piles of fresh tomatoes, cabbage and red onions shine on a colorful tableau.

The ‘Kebap With Attitude’ scene in Mitte, Berlin’s trendy district, is a scene typical of street stalls or restaurants where cooks pile ingredients onto pita bread to prepare the city’s popular döner kebab.

However, the status of this appetizer may be in danger. European CommissionHe approved a proposal from Turkey to regulate things that can legally bear the name döner kebab.

This is a sector that generates annual sales of approximately 2.3 billion euros (almost 2.6 billion dollars). only in germany3.5 billion euros (almost $3.9 billion) across Europe, according to the Berlin-based European Turkish Doner Producers Association.

“From the government to the streets, everyone is eating döner kebab,” said Deniz Buchholz, owner of ‘Kebap With Attitude’, on a rainy Monday afternoon as waiters carried steaming orders from the kitchen to hungry lunchtime customers.

The word “Döner” derives from the Turkish verb “dönmek”, meaning “to return”. The meat is roasted on a spit for hours and cut when the meat is crispy and brown. In Turkey, the dish was originally made from lamb and it was only sold on the plate. However, in the 1970s, Turkish immigrants in Berlin chose to serve it in pita and modify the recipe to make it specific to Berliners.

Türkiye fights for protected status due to its “traditional character”

In April, Türkiye requested that döner kebab be protected under “guaranteed traditional delicacy” status. Turkish beef is subject to the vaunted “protected designation of origin” A practice that applies to certain products from a specific geographical area, such as champagne from the homonymous region in France, but may affect kebab business owners, their individual recipes and customers throughout Germany.

According to Turkey’s proposal, beef will have to come from Turkey cattle at least 16 months old. It was marinated with certain amounts of animal fat, yoghurt or milk, onion, salt and thyme, as well as black, red and white pepper. The final product will be cut into pieces 3 to 5 millimeters thick. The chicken will be arranged in a similar way.

The European Commission must decide by September 24 whether 11 objections, including those from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, are justified. In such a case, Germany and Turkey will have up to six months to reach an agreement. The final say belongs to the European Commission.

The Federal Ministry said, “We were surprised by Turkey’s request.” Supply and Germany Agriculture in a statement to the Associated Press.

“Kebab is part of Germany and the diversity of preparation methods reflects the diversity of our country; this needs to be protected. For the many fans in Germany, we are determined to ensure that döner kebab remains the way it is prepared and you dine here,” the ministry said.

apparently vegetables, turkey and some beef kebabsthey are all already popular in Germany Permission will not be granted upon Turkey’s request.a because they are not specifically mentioned, causing confusion in the German food industry.

“Kebab belongs to Germany. Everyone should decide for themselves how to prepare and eat it here. There is no need for guidance from Ankara.” plataforma socialThe German federal minister of food and agriculture is also of Turkish origin.

‘Kebab With Attitude”s Buchholz said he wasn’t worried about potential regulations.

although he said it could be A way to keep the quality of traditional doner kebab high He added that store owners may have to tap into Berlin’s legacy of creative solutions to expand their menus (which he believes has fallen out of favor in some places).

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“We’ll follow the Berlin route and find a solution to call it something else,” he said, as if he were calling it a “vegetable sandwich.”

Döner kebab also affects the political arena

Anger over kebab prices soaring into double digits led left-wing party Die Linke to ask German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for a “price cut” that would subsidize street food and set a price cap for customers.

Scholz denied this but explained the situation on social media. rising food prices This is due in part to rising energy costs caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine.

And the German president Frank Walter SteinmeierIn April, he carried out “doner diplomacy” by bringing a third-generation kebab restaurant and meat skewers to Turkey. The visit was the first official visit by a German president to this country in a decade.

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The reputation of Turkey’s populist President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has caused some Turkish citizens who own kebab shops in Germany to be reluctant to speak out.

Turkish consumers oppose the proposed rules for fear of reprisals when they return home.

In its objection, the German Hotels and Restaurants Association wrote that Turkey’s offerings differ from typical German döner preparations and said: Regulations may cause financial problems for kebab businessesand possible legal challenges.

In its statement, the association said that the German doner kebab economy should not be subject to Turkish rules. “Kebab diversity should be protected”stated the association.

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