The dispute has flared up since the Turkish international döner association, Udofed, has applied to the EU for the dish to receive the same type of protection as Neapolitan pizza or Serrano ham.
Udofed wants a genuine döner kebab – the variant where the meat is cooked on and sliced from a rotating vertical stand – to meet a strict list of criteria. It's about everything from what meat and spices are used to the thickness of the knife used to slice the meat.
Large industry
According to the application, the döner kebab is part of Turkey's "culinary heritage", with roots dating back to the Ottoman Empire.
If the application is approved, it would mean that companies in the EU would have to meet the criteria to be allowed to use the name of the dish, something that has sparked outrage, particularly in Germany. There, it is claimed that the modern döner variant was invented in Berlin by Turkish guest workers who came to the city between 1960 and 1970.
Moreover, it is argued in Germany – where döner kebab is sold for the equivalent of 82 billion Swedish kronor every year – that EU protection would drive up the price of the popular dish.
"Attack"
It's an attack on Germany's cultural identity, says sociologist Eberhard Seidel to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The German government has submitted a protest against the Turkish application, which will soon be processed by the EU.
The kebab belongs to Germany. Everyone should be able to decide for themselves how it's cooked and eaten. No guidelines from Ankara are needed, says Germany's Minister of Agriculture Cem Ozdemir, who himself has Turkish origins, according to the news agency AFP.
Turkey is not a member of the EU but still has the opportunity to register products under EU protection.
