Germany and Türkiye are fighting over perhaps Europe’s most beloved fast-food, döner kebab. The question is: who owns the meat typically served on bread throughout Europe?
In April, the International federation of döner producers based in Turkey, filed a request to the European Commission to recognise döner kebab as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed product. This official EU status aims to guarantee the quality and unique features of such products.
It’s like intellectual property rights for food and drinks, with a specific EU law setting the rules. Examples of protected products are Spanish serrano ham, Neapolitan pizza or French champagne. If you’re European, your region likely has a similar protected product.
Germany’s food and agriculture minister Cem Ozdemir, whose parents are Turkish immigrants, quickly objected to the Turkish application: ‘The Döner belongs to Germany. We don’t need specifications from Ankara on how to prepare and eat it’.
The two countries are in fact fighting over what döner actually is. The Turkish request to the EU is full of detailed criteria on how döner kebab should be prepared, such as the size of the meat strips, the exact proportions of spices, as well as the length of the knife. Meat that’s not prepared following these exact criteria, could no longer be named and sold as döner.
The German Food and Agriculture Ministry however officially objected to the Turkish request with the European Union in July.If Germany’s objections are upheld, Brussels will invite both parties from Germany and Türkiye to negotiation talks. The delegations are expected to be given six months to reach an agreement.
Yes – picture twenty officials facing each other in a dark Brussels room discussing the official status of döner.