Turkey has appealed to Europe by submitting an application to the EU Official Journal to recognise the famous döner kebab as a “traditional speciality guaranteed”, which would give it a special protected status within the European Union similar to that of Neapolitan pizza from Italy or Serrano ham from Spain, so that only those companies that meet registered standards in terms of production and ingredients could produce and market it under that denomination.
Following the submission of the application to the EU, a 3-month objection period will now begin before the döner kebab is finally registered as a “guaranteed” dish with a degree of official protection.
The term ‘döner kebab’ comes from the union of the Turkish word ‘dönmek’ (to turn) and ‘kebab’ (or ‘kebap’ in Turkish), a word of Arabic origin used to designate all meat cooked over an open fire. Therefore, the literal meaning of ‘döner kebab’ would be ‘meat cooked over a fire while turning’. Traditionally, beef, lamb or chicken meat is used, placing it in multiple overlapping layers and inserted onto a skewer which is turned vertically over a live flame, so that the meat is gradually cooked.
The EU itself states that the origins of the döner kebab go back to the early 19th century in Istanbul, from where this original way of preparing meat spread throughout the territories of the Ottoman Empire, although the first historical record of a method of cooking meat vertically is mentioned in 1564 in the manuscripts of the Ottoman scholar Taqi ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ma’ruf.
When thousands of Turkish workers emigrated in the mid-20th century invited to work in factories in Europe, especially in Germany, many took this way of preparing meat with them, and the döner kebab became a symbol of its origins, permeating the very culinary culture of the European host countries, to the extent that today the döner kebab is the most popular street food in Germany. Now, if no objections are raised within 3 months, the döner kebab will become the first traditional dish of Turkey’s gastronomy to receive this recognition in Europe.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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