Germany and Turkey crossed swords over the doner kebab. Berlin is challenging Ankara's attempt to give the beloved street food the same protected status in the EU as Spanish serrano ham and Neapolitan pizza.
The "battle" began in April, when Turkey submitted an application to register the doner kebab as its "traditional speciality" in Europe. This means that the label can only be used by those who comply with the specified production methods and requirements for the meat.
Germany argues that this would create major bureaucratic hurdles and raise the price of its most popular food. The so-called doner kebab inflation is already a hot-button cost-of-living issue on voters' minds in the run-up to September's crucial election. Berlin imposed its veto just before the EU's July 24 deadline.
If Ankara's application is granted, only beef and lamb "horizontally cut into 3-5 mm thick chops" can be sold as döner. Chicken cutlets can be thicker, while minced meat will be completely prohibited.
The age of the animals from which the meat originates and the cutting knife must also meet certain requirements, as well as the spices used to marinate the meat. This is clear from the statement of the International Doner Federation in Istanbul, which claims that the dish is an integral part of Turkey's "culinary heritage".
The stakes are high, as sales of dunners in Germany amount to around 7 billion euros a year. One in three Germans eats at least one dünner a month, but it's getting harder on their wallets.
The left in Germany has called on parliament to introduce a Dönerpreisbremse, or cap on the price of the döner. She claims that prices for dünners have soared to 10 euros in some German cities, compared to 4 euros just two years ago.
Both Turkey and Germany, with their 2.7 million Turkish diaspora, claim to be the birthplace of the doner kebab.
The delicacy of thinly sliced and baked meat was introduced to Germany by Turkish migrants. They garnish it with chopped vegetables and cover it with garlic or hot sauce.
The bicultural meaning of the döner caused a stir in Germany during President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's state visit to Istanbul in April with a döner in hand.
If Turkey succeeds in its registration bid, the new rules will have "catastrophic consequences for the gastronomic business as well as for consumers," Ingrid Hartges, head of the German Association of Hoteliers and Restaurateurs, told local media.
She believes there is no need for the EU to interfere with doner kebab production, which is already covered by "clear and detailed" national standards established in 1992.
The new European regulations will represent "an intervention in the German market with a tangible economic impact," the agriculture ministry led by Cem Özdemir, a Greens politician with Turkish roots, told Politico.
"This is an attack on Germany's cultural identity," said Berlin sociologist Eberhard Seidel, who has written a book on the history of the doner kebab in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily.
However, Germany produces a dizzying variety of dünner varieties, including beef and vegetarian versions, potato-based varieties in Oldenburg and leberkäs kebabs in Bavaria. Some stores even offer chocolate doughnuts for dessert.
The two countries have six months to find a compromise, otherwise, the EC will have to rule on the dispute. Although Turkey is not part of the EU, third countries can register protection products in the bloc. | BGNES
