End in the war that had broken out between Turkey and Germany for Doner seems to have come to the news that Ankara withdrew its proposal to the EU to establish strict rules for Doner’s preparation kebab.
Turkey had entered the battle for good, wanting to establish strict rules for the preparation of Doner Kebab, with many restrictions on materials and how to make, which would greatly affect the Germany.
Ankara withdrew its proposal to the EU for the label “Guaranteed Traditional Specialty” which aimed to return to Turkey’s traditional recipe for the preparation of the dish, the BBC said.
The Turkish proposal demanded single rules, such as:
- Use only beef over 16 months, lamb over 6 months or chicken (chest and bun),
- ban on turkey and veal meat,
- Thickness of 3–5 mm,
- Specific type of knife and control in the marinades.
The German Doner industry would be more affected, as Doner in Germany has evolved into its own species, different from the traditional Turkish version.
Turkish authorities argued that Doner is their national dish, with German officials answering How their own version is now part of German cuisine and thus opened an informal war.
In Germany, donker usually includes beef, pie -type bread, vegetables (eg red cabbage, pickles, onions) and sauces, which is considered a European variant.
The Turkish Federation did not consult with the German industry, which also reacted with support from the government. Former German Minister of Agriculture, Jem Ozdemir, stressed that everyone has the right to enjoy the doner as he wants and that “the doner belongs to Germany”.
In Germany there are over 1.5 million Turkish citizens and almost so many other Turkish descent. About 60,000 people work in the industry, producing 400 tonnes of donuts a day. Sales in Europe reach 3.5 billion euros a year, of which 2.4 billion in Germany.
The Turkish side eventually withdrew its application on September 23, as it had received many objections and the European Commission was in rejection anyway.