Photo: Shawarma/ua.depositphotos.com
The Turkish government has asked to recognize shawarma, which is called doner kebab in Turkish, as a signature Turkish dish. However, this has caused outrage in Germany, writes BBC Ukraine.
Shawarma is a spiced beef dish cooked on a vertical spit, thinly sliced and stuffed into a pita bread with crispy lettuce, often topped with a garlicky yogurt sauce. It is the German version of the snack. The Turkish version is the same meat served on a plate with rice and salad.
— However, if the Turkish government gets its way, all shawarma establishments in Germany, of which there are more than 1,000 in Berlin alone, could soon be banned from selling doner kebabs under the name, the report said.
Turkey's bid
In a recent application to the European Commission, the Turkish government asked for the döner kebab to be recognised as a Turkish speciality that was born and developed in what is now Turkey.
If the application is successful, it would give it the same status as Italy's Neapolitan pizza or Spain's Serrano jamón. Only kebabs that meet strict criteria will be able to call themselves döner kebab – and the Berlin version will not pass the test.
Germany versus Turkey
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMIL) was one of 11 organisations that filed objections to Turkey's application.
“We received Turkey's application with some surprise,” a ministry spokesman said.
The döner kebab is part of Germany, he said, and the diversity of its preparation reflects the country's diversity, which must be preserved.
According to Visit Berlin, the Berlin version of the shawarma that has become popular in Germany was born in the early 1970s. Mehmet Aygün and Kadir Nurman, representatives of the wave of Turkish guest workers in Germany, lay claim to its creation. They took the classic Turkish döner kebab and turned it into a kind of sandwich that is easy to eat on the go.
Finding a compromise
According to the Berlin Association of Turkish Doner Producers in Europe, the humble shawarma sells for around €2.3 billion annually in Germany alone and €3.5 billion in Europe.
Its affordable price has made it a tool for boosting its ratings among politicians: earlier this year, the German left-wing party Die Linke demanded that the government impose a price cap on the döner. True, the government refused.
The European Commission has instructed the Turkish and German governments to begin negotiations to find a compromise. But experts say the consequences of any agreement will likely be felt around the world, as doner has become one of Turkey's most popular exports.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga