Doner kebab

Doner kebab is a Turkish dish of thin slices of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie and shaved off as it browns. Today it is often served in bread or wrapped in flatbread, and it is one of the most common fast foods in Europe.

History

The vertical rotisserie was in use in the Ottoman Empire by the mid-19th century, while earlier the stacked meat was roasted horizontally, as in cağ kebab. Bursa is generally considered the birthplace of the vertically roasted doner, and its invention is often linked to İskender Efendi, although some sources name Hamdi Usta of Kastamonu, who may have preceded him by a few decades. These attributions remain uncertain.

The sandwich version took shape in 1970s West Berlin, where Turkish immigrants popularised it. Kadir Nurman, who sold at Berlin's Zoo Station around 1972, is among the most cited pioneers, although the question of who first created it is still unresolved. In Germany the dish gained abundant salad, vegetables and sauces, becoming a style distinct from its Turkish form. From there it spread across Europe and, through migration, to other continents.

Culture

In Turkey the doner has well-established variants: served on a plate over pilaf rice, as İskender with yogurt, tomato sauce and melted butter, or as dürüm wrapped in lavash. In Germany and much of Europe the sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, cabbage and sauces such as mayonnaise or yogurt, choices that reflect local taste and are not typical in Turkey.

In Rotterdam, the kapsalon, a shawarma topped with melted cheese, is closely associated with the city. In South America the dish is very popular, partly thanks to Spanish cultural influence, where it is known by its Arabic name, shawarma. As a fast food, the doner is part of everyday street life in many cities, and its shops are now a familiar sight across the continent.

Trivia