Turkey wants to protect the döner kebab, threatening German stronghold over the dish

The famous snack, made with thin pieces of seasoned meat cooked on a rotating grill, has long been the object of contention between Germany and Turkey. 

The kebab’s fame has spread worldwide, with fans in the U.K. driving the multi-billion-pound industry. It has quickly become among the top takeaway meals seen in the busy streets of London.  

Turkey has applied to the European Union to register “döner” as a dish prepared in a specific way, the Turkish way. 

Other foods have received similar protections, such as Italy’s Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Spain’s Serrano ham. 

If the EU approves Turkey’s application, the kebab dish will receive “traditional specialty guaranteed,” according to the Associated Press. That means Turkey can dictate the right beef variety, how it needs to be marinated to qualify as a döner kebab, and how it needs to be sliced (Turkey’s proposal states that it should be three to five millimeters).

Popular kebab varieties in Germany, such as those made with turkey and veal, will no longer be allowed in the döner kebab family.     

However you slice it, the stronger Turkey’s grip on the street snack gets, the less control Germany has. And it isn’t happy.  

Germany’s stake

Kebabs are personal. To Germans, they are what Indian-origin dish chicken tikka masala is to the British.

Döner kebabs generate a whopping €2.3 billion (or $2.6 billion) in sales in Germany alone, the Berlin-based Association of Turkish Döner Producers in Europe said. Across Europe, the kebabs are worth nearly thrice that. They have been a significant source of employment in the country and are a big cultural icon in Germany, with stores going back about 50 years. There are songs dedicated to the kebab, too.

Hauke-Christian Dittrich—picture alliance/Getty Images

Following Turkey’s application, the country’s food ministry said it had “taken note of the application” and called the kebab a “German dish.”  

“In the interests of the many fans in Germany, we are committed to ensuring that the döner kebab can remain as it is prepared and eaten here,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Fortune. The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food has also objected to the EU Commission over Turkey’s application. 

Cem Özdemir, a federal minister at the body, said in a post on X earlier this year: “The döner kebab is a German dish. Everyone should be able to decide for themselves how it is prepared and eaten here. There is no need for guidelines from Ankara.” 

Der Döner gehört zu Deutschland. Wie er hier zubereitet und gegessen wird, sollte jeder selbst entscheiden dürfen. Da braucht es keine Vorgaben aus Ankara. pic.twitter.com/K2IoqwqouF

— Cem Özdemir (@cem_oezdemir) July 25, 2024

In a country of 83 million people, where two million döner kebabs are consumed daily, the dish has taken on a more symbolic responsibility lately. It has become far more expensive to make and sell amid higher raw material costs, infuriating many Germans who called for a price cap on the delicacy (Chancellor Olaf Scholz prompt rejected that idea).

The Kebab conflict 

While the two countries are still at odds over the right to control how the döner kebab is made, its provenance isn’t as much of a dispute. Even the word “döner” comes from the Turkish word “dönmek” which means “to turn.” The dish was traditionally prepared with lamb, letting it cook for several hours on a spit. 

The “kebap,” as it’s called in Turkish, was first depicted in the 17th century. 

It was then exported to Germany by two immigrants in the 1970s, who chose to serve the meat on a piece of bread and made their own local tweaks to the recipe.

While the jury is still out on whether Turkey gets to decide what döner kebab entails, Germany will certainly not let them win the food fight easily.