Turkey abandons food struggle to force the rules of Kebab Doner on Europe

A Turkish attempt to force Kebab stores in the EU to respect strict rules on how to make a donor kebab has been removed.

If the offer for a “traditional guaranteed” label had succeeded, restrictions would have been imposed on the types of ingredients that could be used.

The German Kebab industry would have particularly asymmetrified, because the ultimate doner of High Street has evolved over the decades to be quite different from the original of Turkey.

The Turkish authorities argued that the driver should be considered a national dish that has spread to Europe by migrating the Turks. But German officials said his point of view on Kebab had become part of his own national cuisine.

The traditional way of cooking meat on a vertical roasting dates back to the 16th century, according to the International Federation of Doner de Turkey (Udofed), and the name name is linked to this cooking technique.

He asked the EU to impose uniform rules through the block requiring that:

• The meat would come from a cow of more than 16 months, from lamb aged at least six months or from chicken and breasts
• Veal and turkey meat would be prohibited
• The meat should be cut at a thickness of 3-5 mm
• The type of knife would be regulated and the marinades would also be subject to the rules

The German variant of a Kebab often uses veal in a flat bread filled with vegetables, including red cabbage, pickles, red onions and garnished with sauces – and could therefore be considered as a European vision of the classic Turkish.

The Turkish Federation has failed to consult the German Kebab industry, which resumed government support in Berlin.

The German Ministry of Food and Agriculture told the BBC last year that it had taken note of the Turkish offer “with a little astonishment”.

Former German Minister of Food and Agriculture CEM Özdemir, a veteran politician of Turkish origin, said that he was up to everyone to decide how a donor should be eaten in his country, and that he was not necessary for Ankara directives.

“The doner belongs to Germany,” he insisted.

If Udofed had followed its offer, a European industry dominated by the Turkish diaspora would have been affected.

In Germany alone, there are more than 1.5 million Turkish citizens and almost as much Turkish origin.

About 60,000 people are employed in the industry, producing around 400 tonnes of Kebab per day, according to the association of Turkish Doner Manufacturers in Europe (ATDID).

Kebabs annual sales generate some 3.5 billion euros (3 billion pounds sterling) across Europe, including 2.4 billion euros in Germany only, he said.

The Turkish Federation told the European Commission that it had withdrawn its offer on September 23.

Her request, she had attracted a large number of objections.

An attempt to find a compromise failed. An EU official told the BBC Turkish that the offer was heading anyway to rejection.