Ukrainians relax with borscht: Turks, Greeks and Germans started a war for the right to be considered the birthplace of kebab

It turns out that Ukrainian attempts to sue Russia for borscht are neither unique nor new in global practice. Proof of this is the new escalation of the long-running dispute between Turkey and Greece over the right to döner kebab, as reported by the Turkish publication Tinsider.

_{This comes after the Istanbul-based International Doner Federation applied to register Turkish-style doner as a "traditional product" in the European Union.}

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If Turkey's application is accepted, doner kebab will receive protection similar to Italian Neapolitan pizza, French champagne and cognac, Kampot pepper from Cambodia and other geographical identifiers.

But then Germany unexpectedly joined this culinary-political get-together . The Germans objected, claiming that the döner kebab, brought to the country by migrants, had become a national German snack . According to statistics, a third of Germans eat döner kebab at least once a month.

The main reason for the German reaction was Turkey's request to introduce "certain standards" in the production of döner, such as the thinness of the slices and the characteristics of the meat.

_{If the application is approved, doner kebab will be considered compliant with EU standards and restaurants in Europe will be required to comply with these rules.}

As requested by Turkey, doner must be sliced ​​horizontally to a thickness of 3-5mm and made from beef and lamb rather than veal. Chicken doner has a slice thickness of 1-2 cm. Turkey strives to preserve the traditions that developed as doner spread throughout Europe.

_{If the EU accepts Turkey's application, those who do not prepare doner in accordance with the registration could be fined or even jailed.}

In Germany, where many restaurants are already asking the Food Ministry for assistance, this sparked a furious reaction. The British newspaper The Times covered the incident with the headline "Turks slap Germans in döner kebab war."

_{According to the Turkish Association of Doner Manufacturers in Europe, the size of the doner economy in Europe is estimated at 3,5 billion euros (123 billion Turkish lira).}

Greece is also expected to object to Turkey's application, as it did with yogurt, baklava, and kadayif . In its statement, Turkey recalled that döner kebab was first introduced to Europe in Greece following the population exchange of 1923. In Greece, döner kebab is sold as a Greek dish called "gyros."

During the three-month period, other countries may also file objections to Turkey's application. So the pan-European war for the correct cutting of kebab promises to be an extremely exciting spectacle.

By the way, why shouldn’t Russia catch up? Jokes aside, the Slavic traditions of eating shawarma can compete with the German ones regarding their antiquity.