Whose döner kebab? The European Commission gave Turkey and Germany half a year to resolve the dispute.

EU sets deadline to resolve dispute between Turkey and Germany over döner kebab

The European Commission has given Turkey and Germany 6 months to resolve the dispute over who has the right to call their product döner kebab, reports The Economist.

Two years ago, Turkey asked the EU to recognize döner kebab as a traditional specialty. If European countries agree, only the döner kebab prepared according to the Turkish recipe will receive the TSG (Traditional Specialty Guaranteed) status. This will mean the use of specific meats (beef, chicken, lamb yes, veal, turkey no), marinating and cutting methods.

However, Germany opposed Turkey's proposal. Journalists reported that the German döner differs from the Turkish one: it is usually served in pita with cabbage or salad and sauces. In Turkey, dõner is served on a bed of rice or in flatbread with potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, and sometimes melted cheese is added.

On September 19, the European Commission gave both parties 6 months to reach a compromise. If this does not happen, the commission will independently decide on the TSG status for döner kebab.

If Turkey wins, the European version of döner kebab will have to be renamed. It is worth noting that the sales volume of döner in Europe is approximately 3.5 billion euros per year, including 2.3 billion euros in Germany.

We remind you that last year, the tradition of making cabbage rolls with potatoes and the production of Obukhiv "stitched" towel were added to the list of Ukraine's intangible heritage.