As is known, the Doner Kebab it is considered one of the most typical and characteristic dishes of German cuisine and in particular of Berlin cuisine. Naturally, this statement contains contradictions: everyone knows that the Kebab has nothing originally “Germanic”, yet this dish, a pillar of Turkish cuisine, is now an indispensable element of the German diet, demonstrating the essential role that the Turkish community has had in shaping and enriching the culture and gastronomic panorama of the country. There was a time when a Doner Kebab could cost as little as a couple of euros, but that time is over. Already in the last year, as a consequence of the increase in energy and food costs, the average has reached approx 7 euros per portion. Soon, however, things could change. The price of Kebab could undergo a sharp increase, displeasing millions of fans of this type of street food. What’s going on?
How do you recognize a True Doner Kebab
This dish, which has conquered the palates of countless people thanks to its combination of spiced meat and fresh vegetables, mostly wrapped in pita bread or similar preparations, has become a symbol of conviviality and cultural fusion. But it is also a typical dish and, just as often, international guidelines arrive from Italy on what can or cannot be baptized with the name of our products and our typical recipes, a proposal now arrives from Turkey to standardize the preparation of the “real” Doner Kebab.
It’s about very detailed guidelines, advanced by a group of Turkish producers with the declared intention of standardizing the recipe throughout the European Union, where this food has become extremely popular. Among the foreseen specifications are the mandatory use of 100-200 grams of thyme for each red meat kebab, precise cooking and resting times for the meat, as well as rules on the thickness of the slices used, which must be between 2 and 5 millimetres. . These measures would be in addition to those already recognized by the German food code, according to which already establishes, among other things, that the real Doner Kebab can only be made up of slices of beef, veal or mutton, to be accompanied only by onions , oil, eggs, milk, yogurt, salt and spices. Flavor enhancers such as soy, which are sometimes used, would be prohibited.
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Because prices risk increasing
But the most controversial aspect of the new proposal, which risks significantly increasing costs for those who produce and sell kebabs, is the ban on the use of slicers: all meat, according to the guidelines, should be cut by hand with special knives. This change would take longer to prepare and could affect the cost per portion, leading to professional processing with more skilled labor and therefore higher personnel costs.
It is not yet clear whether these rules will actually be approved: much will depend on any opposition that will arrive at the European Commission from trade associations and entrepreneurs in the next three months.
The only thing that is certain is that, if the proposal passes, consumers should prepare to see the price of what for many is their absolute favorite fast food skyrocket.
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