Germany’s beloved street food, döner kebab, is poised to join the ranks of Europe’s culinary elite as Türkiye seeks protection for its culinary treasure within the EU’s special protection label. This designation would place döner kebab alongside other European favorites like Neapolitan pizza and Spanish jamon serrano, ensuring its authenticity and adherence to traditional production methods.
The term “döner” originates from the Turkish verb “dönmek,” meaning “turning” in English. Most Europeans recognize it as “döner kebab,” with the addition of the Arabic word for meat cooked over a fire. Türkiye’s application aims to register the name “döner” in Europe, ensuring its exclusive use by producers who conform to the registered production method and product specifications.
If successful, only large slabs of beef and lamb, “horizontally sliced into cutlets with a thickness of 3-5 mm,” could be labeled as “yaprak” (or sliced) döner. Chicken cutlets would be permitted a thickness of 1-2 cm in the poultry variety. The döner economy in Europe is estimated to be worth approximately €3.5 billion, according to the application, supported by the Association of Turkish Döner Producers in Europe (ATDID), which has represented the sector in Europe since 1996.
Traditional specialties, while sometimes associated with the EU’s Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) quality scheme, are not included in the geographical indications (GIs) framework, which offers the highest level of intellectual protection for foodstuffs in Europe. This stronger protection is reserved for foodstuff linked to a specific geographical area, which is not the case for the traditional cooking technique of döner. It is the reason why Parma ham has been granted a GI while jamon serrano enjoys protected status alone.
The food specialty label has sparked occasional controversies, such as when Italians challenged the use of the traditional term “prošek” for a sweet dessert wine produced in Croatia, claiming it could conflict with the PDO of Italian Prosecco. In the case of döner, complaints might be anticipated from Greece, a close neighbor and long-time cultural rival across the Aegean.
“It is claimed that Greece was the first country in Europe where ‘Döner’ was introduced during an exchange of people between Turkey and Greece in 1922. In Greece, it has been named ‘gyro,” notes Türkiye’s application in anticipation of potential challenges. A consultation phase is now open for three months, allowing countries to raise intellectual property concerns that could challenge the registration.
