Last April, the Turkish International Döner Federation (UDOFED) petitioned the EU to recognize the döner kebab as a Turkish regional product. This would give it special status, like Spanish serrano ham.
If approved, doner stores in the EU would only be allowed to call the product doner kebab if it met strict requirements. The meat was then only allowed to be beef, mutton or chicken. Lamb, vegetarian options and pork were then out of the question. In addition, only a 55-centimeter steel knife was allowed to be used for cutting. In Turkey, this is tradition.
The plan met with criticism from a number of European countries, particularly Germany. In that country, doner kebab is a popular dish that over the years has begun to diverge from the original Turkish version. The dish is also popular in the Netherlands.
Ankara believes the dish should be labeled a national dish because it has spread through Europe through migration of Turks. Berlin claims that the German kebab has now become part of German cuisine.
Former German minister Cem Özdemir, who is himself of Turkish descent, earlier expressed his surprise at the plan to BBC News. “Döner kebab belongs to Germany,” he said then.
Turkey announced to Brussels earlier this week that it was withdrawing its request for protected status.
