2024-09-21 16:03:39
Short cuts of beef and chicken glisten as they spin slowly on vertical skewers before being sliced into razor-thin strips. Two chefs slide from the sizzling hot plate to the hot grill in a practiced dance. Piles of fresh tomatoes, cabbage and red onions glisten in a colorful display case.
The scene at Kebap With Attitude in Berlin’s trendy Mitte district is typical of any street stall or restaurant, where chefs pile ingredients into a bun to prepare the city’s favorite düner kebab, according to an Associated Press report. from the German capital, quoted by BTA.
However, the dish’s status could be in jeopardy if the European Commission accepts Turkey’s request to regulate what can legally be called a “düner kebab”.
The bill includes an industry that generates roughly 2.3 billion euros worth of annual sales in Germany alone and 3.5 billion euros across Europe, according to the Berlin-based Association of Turkish Düner Producers in Europe.
“From the government to the street, everyone eats döner kebab,” says Denise Buchholz, owner of Kebab with Attitude, as waiters deliver steaming orders from the kitchen to hungry lunch customers on a rainy Monday afternoon.
The word “düner” is derived from the Turkish verb “dönmek”, which means “to spin”. The dish is grilled for hours on a spit and cut into strips when the meat becomes crispy and brown. In Turkey, the dish was originally made from lamb and sold only on a plate.In the 1970s, however, Turkish immigrants in Berlin decided to serve it in a bun and modified the recipe to make it special for Berliners.
“They realized that Germans love everything in bread,” says Buchhold, who grew up in Berlin and has Turkish roots. in Berlin”.
In April, Turkey filed a request for düner kebab to be protected under a status called a “traditional specialty guaranteed.” This is a lower grade than the vaunted “protected designation of origin,” which applies to geographically specific products such as champagne from the eponymous region of France, but could still affect the owners of (dunner) kebab shops, their individual recipes and their customers throughout Germany.
Under the Turkish proposal, a requirement could be introduced that beef comes from cattle that are at least 16 months old. It will have to be marinated with certain amounts of animal fat, sour or fresh milk, onions, salt and thyme, as well as black, red and white pepper. The finished product will need to be cut from the vertical skewer into strips between 3 and 5 mm thick. Similar regulations are foreseen for chicken meat.
The European Commission must decide by September 24 whether the 11 objections to the submitted request, including from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, are justified. If so, Germany and Turkey will have six months to reach a compromise. The European Commission will have the last word.
“We learned of Turkey’s request with some surprise,” the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
“The kebab is a part of Germany and the diversity of its preparation methods reflects the diversity of our country – this should be preserved. In the interest of its many connoisseurs in Germany, we are determined to ensure that the düner kebab will be preserved as it is prepared and eaten here,” the ministry said.
It appears that vegetable, turkey and some types of beef kebabs – which are popular in Germany – will not be allowed if Turkey’s application is accepted, as they are not specifically mentioned in it, causing confusion in the German food industry.
“Kebap belongs to Germany. Everyone should be able to decide how they want it prepared and consumed here. There is no need for guidelines from Ankara,” German Food and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, who is with Turkey, wrote on the Ex social network. roots.
Denise Buchholz of Dunner with Attitude said she isn’t worried about potential regulations.
While he said this may be a way to maintain the high quality of the traditional düner kebab – he believes it has fallen in some places – Buchholz added that düner owners may have to fall back on Berlin’s legacy of creative solutions , to maintain their more diverse menus.
“We’re going to take the Berlin approach and find a solution to call it something else,” he said, like a “vegetarian sandwich.”
The issue of düner kebab is also reflected in the political sphere. Dissatisfaction with the price of a kebab, which has risen to double digits, has led Germany’s “Left” to ask Chancellor Olaf Scholz for a “price break” that would subsidize street food and set a maximum price for customers. Scholz declined, but explained on social media that rising food prices were partly due to rising energy prices because of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier engaged in “dunner diplomacy” when he arrived in Turkey in April with a third-generation düner shop owner and a giant meat skewer. The visit was the first official visit there by a German president in a decade, although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Perceived as a leader with increasingly authoritarian instincts, Erdogan’s reputation has made some Turkish citizens who own döner establishments in Germany wary of speaking out against the proposed regulations for fear of reprisals when they return to Turkey.
In its objections, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association pointed out that the Turkish offerings differed from the typical preparation of the düner in Germany, and the regulations could lead to economic problems for döner establishments, as well as possible lawsuits.
“The German düner kebab economy should not be subject to Turkish rules,” the association said in a statement.
“The diversity of the kebab must be preserved,” the association states.