A Turkish attempt to force kebab shops in the EU to adhere to strict rules on how to make a doner kebab has been withdrawn.
If the bid for a “Traditional Speciality Guaranteed” label had succeeded, restrictions would have been imposed on the types of ingredients that could be used.
Germany’s kebab industry would have been particularly skewered, as the quintessential high street doner has evolved over the decades to be rather different than the original from Turkey.
Turkish authorities argued the doner should be viewed a national dish that spread to Europe through the migration of Turks. But German officials said its take on the kebab had become part of its own national cuisine.
The traditional way of cooking meat on a vertical rotisserie goes back to the 16th Century, according to Turkey’s International Doner Federation (Udofed), and the name doner is related to that cooking technique.
I don’t think Turkey has quite understood the lack of importance Doner kebab customers place on quality. The favourie late night snack could be made out of horse as long as it tastes good after fifteen pints.
