Doner kebab
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Döner Kebab (as döner kebap in Turkish and often simply kebap, donair, döner, doner or donner), which literally means "turning roast" is the name given to a Turkish dish made with lamb (or mutton), beef or chicken. It is the origin of other similar Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes such as shawarma and gyros. A version developed to suit German tastes by Turkish immigrants in Berlin has become one of the world's most popular fast food dishes.
History
The original form of today's döner kebab is Oltu kebab. Oltu is a small town near Erzurum, Turkey. The original form is grilled horizontally and the slices are cut thicker, after inserting a special L shaped Oltu shish along the surface. In the 19th century, the modern form was invented in Bursa. The original form is still served in many cities of Turkey.
Today, döner kebab is typically served as a kind of sandwich in a small pide (Turkish pita bread). The döner kebab with salad and sauce served in pita, which is predominant in Germany and the rest of the world, was invented in Berlin-Kreuzberg in 1971 , because the original preparation was not appealing enough to the German taste. The döner has been the most popular fast food dish in Germany since the 1980s.[citation needed]
Preparation of meat for döner kebabs
The meat used for making döner kebabs may be lamb, beef, veal or chicken, but never pork. After the BSE crisis (mad cow disease), even fish was used in some countries. Generally a döner kebab sandwich is served with a salad made from shredded lettuce. Usually there is a choice between a hot sauce, a yoghurt sauce containing garlic and a yoghurt sauce containing herbs. Sometimes sheep's cheese (Turkish: beyaz peynir, or "white cheese") can be added.
There are two basic ways of preparing meat for döner kebabs:
- The most common and authentic method is to stack seasoned slices of lean meat onto a vertical skewer in the shape of a cylinder. The stack is cooked by radiant heat from electric elements or gas fired infrared burners. Often meat, tomatoes, and onions are placed at the top of the stack to drip juices over the meat keeping it moist.
- Some cheaper shops serve a combination of seasoned sliced and ground meat cooked on a grilltop as döner kebab. In Germany the amount of ground meat is not allowed to surpass 60% (Berliner Verkehrsauffassung).
There are two ways of cutting meat from the cone:
- by using a long and very sharp knife.
- by using an electric knife with a rotating disc blade which produces thinner pieces of meat and thus increases the number of portions obtained from a stack.
Döner kebab around the world
Döner kebab is now widely available across Europe and Canada, mostly in the variant developed in Germany.
Australia
In Australia, kebabs are very popular due to immigration from Greece, Turkey, former Yugoslavia, and Lebanon and are perceived as a healthier alternative to McDonald's or KFC. Kebabs are usually served in pita or Turkish bread, rather than in a sandwich. In Australia shops or stalls run by Greeks kebabs are usually called souvlaki or yiros/yeeros (that is, gyros). Kebabs often include a fried egg in Western Australia. Meat (beef or lamb) and chicken kebabs can be easily found in Sydney where most suburbs have take-away shops that offer them. They are commonly served with cheese and a salad consisting of lettuce, tomato, onion, and tabouli on pita bread (also known locally as 'Lebanese bread'). The most commonly used sauces are tomato sauce (ketchup), barbecue (BBQ) sauce, hummus (made with chickpeas), garlic sauce and chilli or sweet chilli sauce. Döner kebabs in Sydney can be served with all the ingredients placed onto or next to the pita bread on a plate, or more commonly, with the ingredients rolled into the pita bread in the form of a 'wrap'. There are two primary ways to serve the wrapped version, it can be toasted once it's been wrapped, which has the effect of melting the cheese (if any) and baking the bread so that it hardens and becomes crisp, the alternative is just serving it without toasting. An additional form is predominant in Canberra, the nation's capital, where the bread with filling is passed underneath a grill for a minute. The sandwich is then wrapped in paper to stop the filling from falling out and usually placed in a foil/paper sleeve. (This variety is also available in Auckland city in nearby New Zealand). In Brisbane Kebabs are influenced most strongly by the Turkish variation.
Shops or vans selling kebabs are colloquially referred to as "Kebaberies" in some parts of Australia.
Kebab meat is also found as a pizza topping in the western suburbs (such as Penrith) of Sydney, along with the usual pizza toppings.
Afghanistan
Döner is very popular, locals especially in Herat and Kabul enjoy the döner kebab. In Afghanistan it is called shawarma, Kababe Torki (Turkish kebab), or Sandwich Unanee
Belgium
Döner kebab restaurants and food stands can be found in almost all cities and smaller towns in Belgium. The variety served is similar to the variety served in Germany and the Netherlands. However, it is not uncommon to see döner being served with French fries in Belgium, often stuffed into the bread itself (similar to the German "Kebab mit Pommes"). This is probably done to suit local taste, as French fries are still the most common Belgian fastfood. Available sauces in Belgium are usually mayonaise-based and the most popular are the garlic and cocktail variety, as well as a spicy sauce known as samurai that originated in the Belgian fries-shops. Other popular sauces include plain mayonaise, sambal oelek or harissa paste, andalouse sauce, "americaine" sauce and tomato or curry ketchup. Belgians are renowned to often mix two sauces for maximizing taste effects (e.g. garlic and sambal). Another basic ingredient of the typical Belgian Kebab is two or three green, spicy, Turkish peppers.
Canada
A variation on the döner kebab known as a Donair was introduced in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in the early 1970s. A restaurant called King of Donair claims to have been the first to serve this version in 1973.[1]
The meat in this version of the döner kebab (Halifax donair, as it is sometimes referred to) is sliced from a loaf cooked on a vertical spit, made from a combination of ground beef, flour or bread crumbs, and various spices, while the sauce is made from evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar, and garlic. The meat and sauce are served rolled in pita bread with diced tomato and onion. This version is generally so packed with ingredients, that the pita is almost there for ceremonial purposes; the pita of any true Haligonian donair will be so soaked in sauce that attempts to pick it up will be fruitless.
This version of the donair is very popular throughout the Maritime region of Canada, and is also available in some other areas of the country, with many fast food pizza restaurants also featuring donairs on the menu. Many of them also offer a donair pizza featuring all of the donair ingredients served on a pizza crust. Donair subs are also not uncommon.
Halifax, in particular, seems to take a certain pride in the donair as its own defining fast food. There are long lines to buy them at 3:30 A.M., after the bars close. The donair sauce on its own used to be provided for free though due to it gaining popularity it is often provided for a small fee with garlic fingers or as a pizza topping (e.g., Barbecue chicken pizza with donair sauce) by Halifax pizza restaurants — even local franchises of chains not based in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Donairs are also featured in the Canadian TV series Trailer Park Boys, which takes place near Halifax. In the episode "A Man's Gotta Eat", Julian is found by Constable Erica Miller, "drunk, living by a dumpster behind a King of Donair" In the episode "Working Man", a short part of the episode takes place inside a King of Donair. At another point, Ricky has to pass Bubbles his donair to climb over a fence, saying, "Don't eat any of it, Bubbles."
China
Döners are prevalent in western China, especially Xinjiang, due to Turkish influence. Döner kebabs are a regional specialty that gradually spread to elsewhere in China. Mainly however are made of shish kebabs, very very hot and spicy and put into buns. They cost around 30 euro cents, but you cannot feed yourself with one.
Denmark
In Denmark döner kebab is sold under a variety of names depending on the döner salesmans ethnic background. In Copenhagen döners are usually called shawarma (Arabic) or dürüm (Turkish) but in other parts of the country it is sold as guss (Iraqi) or simply kebab. The tag döner is however rarely used. Döner kebab was first introduced to Denmark in 1981 by Turkish migrant workers, and has since become a staple. In Denmark Döner is served with salad, tomatoes, sour cream dressing and chilli oil in either a pita bread or rolled in a flat bread.
Finland
In Finland, kebabs have gained a lot of popularity since Turkish immigrants have opened restaurants and imported their own traditional food (albeit modified to suit Finnish taste like in Germany, e.g replacing lamb with beef in most cases). The popularity can be noticed in everyday life, especially in larger cities. Kebab foods are generally regarded as fast-food, often served in late-night restaurants also serving pizza. There are at least 1122 currently active restaurants that serve kebab foods[2] in Finland. Beef is dominantly used instead of lamb due to the fact that Finns are familiar with the taste and consume beef significantly more than lamb which also means that it is cheaper and has good availability. Some döners can be a mix of lamb and beef.
France
Kebabs are, along with pizza and hamburgers, one of the few widely available fast foods[citation needed], and probably the cheapest. Most kebab shops (themselves known simply as kebabs) are run by some of the many Turkish immigrants in France. The basic kebab consists of Turkish bread stuffed with grilled beef shavings, onions and lettuce, with a choice of sauce from sauce blanche (yoghurt sauce with garlic and herbs), harissa (spicy red sauce originally from Tunisia), ketchup, or several others. Very frequently kebabs are served with chips, often stuffed into the bread itself. Other variations include turkey or chicken, fish, falafel or sausage, and replacing the Turkish bread with pita bread or baguette; indeed, this is actually more common than the Turkish pide bread in many smaller towns.
Germany
In many cities throughout Germany, the Turkish Döner Kebab and Vegetarischer Döner, made with Falafel, are far more popular than hamburgers or sausages, especially with young people, who eat a "Döner" (as it is usually just called) for lunch, dinner and late at night after returning from clubs and bars (costs: between 1.-€ and 3.-€ in Berlin, although may be more expensive in other smaller German cities where Döner shops are not as prevalent).[citation needed]
Typically, along with the meat, a salad consisting of chopped lettuce, cabbage, onions, cucumber, and tomatoes is offered, as well as a choice of sauces (hot sauce ("scharfe Soße"), herb sauce ("Kräutersoße"), garlic sauce ("Knoblauchsoße"), or yoghurt ("Joghurtsoße")). The filling is served in thick flatbread ("Fladenbrot") that is usually toasted or warmed. There are different variations on the Döner Kebab, one of which is the "Kebab mit Pommes." This is similar to a normal Döner Kebab, except it has French fries with in addition to the meat. Another variety is achieved by placing the ingredients on a Lahmacun (a flat round dough topped with minced meat and spices) and then rolling the ingredients inside the dough into a tube that is eaten out of a wrapping of usually aluminum foil. This is usually referred to as "Lahmacun" even though it's a special variant of the Döner Kebab. When plain dough is used (without the typical Lahmacun spices and minced meat) you refer to the rolled Kebab as "Dürüm Döner". The packaging of the Döner itself in Germany is typically a wax paper sleeve with an image of a male cook sharpening a knife in front of a large spit.
Statistically, the Germans consume 200 to 300 metric tonnes of Döner Kebab per day.[citation needed] In 1998 , they spent about 1.5.-€ billion on Döner Kebab. Germany's large Turkish minority is probably the biggest reason for the widespread sale of Döner Kebab sandwiches there: After World War II, large numbers of Turks were invited to come to Germany as "guest workers" (Gastarbeiter), to help with the German reconstruction effort and fill an acute labour shortage caused by the loss of manpower in WWII. A certain share of these Turkish workers eventually stayed in Germany; opening small food shops and takeaways was an excellent option in terms of progressing from more menial jobs.
Iran
Döner is very popular in Iran and it is known as the "Turkish Kabab" or "Kababe Torki" in Persian.
Japan
Döner kebabs are also starting to be seen in Japan where they are predominantly sold from parked vans. Döner kebabs have been adjusted to suit Japanese tastes; the salad is usually omitted in favour of shredded cabbage, and the sauce is composed primarily of mayonnaise.
Employees of döner kebab stands (along with those of Indian restaurants) are among the most visible non-East Asian, non-Western European immigrants in Japan. This phenomenon has only become prevalent in the last five years, and is perhaps indicative of changing attitudes towards foreigners.
Netherlands
Döner kebab is very popular in the Netherlands among all populations. It is generally served with lettuce, onion, tomato slices and sauce, mainly garlic and sambal. It is available in all major cities and also in many smaller towns.
Norway
In Norway, it is served in a variety of ways. In Oslo, there is a price war and you can get a kebab as low as 3 dollars, or 1 without meat. It is probably most common in Oslo, which has the largest foreign-born population.
Philippines
In the Philippines, döner kebab is referred to by its Arabic name, shawarma, and has become relatively common in major cities, Manila especially. This may be due to the huge number of Filipino overseas workers who have been contracted for Middle East work over many years. Filipino-style Shawarma is beef (never minced) or chicken, and, extremely rarely, lamb (rather expensive in this country). It is wrapped in a smallish pita (one sandwich, around USD$1, is usually not enough if one is hungry), rolled up, and smothered in an oil-based garlic sauce (like a thin aioli) and a hot chilli sauce, together with chopped lettuce, onions and tomato. Recipes vary wildly, some even using a sweetish, almost teriyaki-like marinade. 'Special' shawarma can include cheese, French fries, and homemade pickles. Shawarma can also be served with rice. The best shawarma in Manila can be found in shops owned by expatriate Arabs married to Filipinas.
Poland
In Poland the kebab bars are spread mostly in majors cities, but still considered one of the most, if not the most popular fast foods for the young people. A very Polish specialty [dubious – discuss] is a fresh cabbage salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and other vegetables, added to the meat in a sandwich. A basic version costs 6 zł (€1.5) and includes pita or thick bread, meat with onion, mentioned salad and choice of sauces. It can be super sized and/or served with extra cheese. Sandwiches are available with hot, medium or mild sauces made of house special ingredients. Kebab shops serve also complete meals, vegetarian dishes and ayran. Undoubtedly [citation needed] Warsaw is the capital of Polish kebab, with shops run by Turkish emigrants, and serving Arab specialties and hookah pipes apart from the sandwiches. As they run 24/7—they are often visited by partying youth and policemen.
Kebabs were rarely seen in Poland before the downfall of the Iron Curtain in 1991. A similar Greek-fashioned dish gyros could have been occassionaly encountered in that era. One possible origin of the recent popularity of kebab in Poland is post-communist Berlin, with local Turkish immigrants inspired by their fellow natives in the other country.[citation needed]
Republic of Ireland
In Dublin, Ireland, increasing numbers of Turkish immigrants from Turkey have led to something of an explosion in the number of late-night kebab eateries, hugely popular with party-goers and evening revellers in the city centre.
Kebabs are often eaten as take-away food on the way home after a night out. Due to a huge demand for late night food in the city centre, large businesses, such as Abra Kebabra, have left their doors open late into the night all through the week. An additional ten percent surcharge is placed on all food after half eleven.
The Irish döner kebab consists of döner meat (lamb) placed into a pita with sliced cabbage and red cabbage. Two sauces are then placed through the kebab, a yogurty garlic white sauce and a hot and spicy red sauce. In Ireland, traditionally, a döner kebab is also purchased with a carton of milk to help fight against the hot and spicy red sauce.
Switzerland
Döner can be found in cities across Switzerland. Of particular interest are the Döner stands in the Zurich old town. The döner vendors have popularised the grammatically incorrect way of asking if the customer wants the döner "mit scharf/ohne scharf" (i.e. "with hot/without hot"). This ubiquitous error has entered the general usage of German in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, and people don't react at all to this grammatical peculiarity.
Turkey
In Turkey, the "German" döner was generally frowned upon. However, in the southern coastal areas where tourism is a major economic factor, it turned out that from the early 1990s on, German and other European tourists were demanding what they considered "real" döner, that is, the Germanized variety. Nowadays, in tourist areas, the salad-sauce-sandwich type of döner is becoming more and more widespread or even dominant. The traditional method of preparation (no minced meat, marination before grilling) and serving (as a main course with sliced pita, pilaf (of bulgur or rice), and melted butter) is still most accepted at restaurants. Another way of serving at restaurants is named pilav üstü döner, with slices of döner placed on a bed of rice pilaf and usually garnished with tomatoes, onions, green peppers, etc. However, the prevailing variant sold as fast-food is known as döner sandviç or ekmek arası, a sandwich prepared with döner, a half a loaf of bread (not pita) and a salad (with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and pickles) but no dressing. Dürüm is also another Turkish döner type which means to wrap in something, in this case a 'thinner bread' like lavash.
United Kingdom and Ireland
The döner kebab (usually donner kebab; rarely döner kebab with salad and sauce is also a very popular dish in both the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The typical kebab supplier (known as "kebab shops") in the UK will offer hot chilli sauce, a barbecue sauce, burger sauce and garlic yoghurt-style sauce, though a mint sauce similar to raita is also common. Usually, a customer can ask for a mild, a medium or a hot sauce, but it is not made clear what the ingredients are. Kebabs are often eaten as take-away food on the way home after a night out. Kebabs are very much part of the Friday and Saturday night culture in the UK rather than breakfast or lunchtime food. There are several common ways in which döner kebabs are served in the UK:
- Wrapped in pita bread
- On naan bread
- Served as a dish of "döner meat and chips", typically including salad
- Often preferred to be garnished with a range of sauces such as tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, chili sauce, mint or garlic sauce.
UK döner kebab often uses a different mixture of spices, because immigrants from Cyprus operate a major proportion of the takeaways. Menus typically offer döner, shish (lamb and chicken) and kofte kebabs, with a 'special' including portions of each with bread and chips. "Döner meat" is often also offered as a pizza or burger topping in such establishments. The part of the animal used to produce the meat is not generally made clear; consequently, there are a lot of myths and jokes flying around as to the source.
See also
- Kebab for other kinds of kebab
- Gyros, a Greek style version.
- Iskender kebap, döner served with tomato sauce and yoghurt.
- Shawarma, the Arabic term for a similar dish.
- Shish taouk, a similar dish in Montreal made with chicken.
- Tacos al pastor, a similar dish from Mexico, made from spiced pork and served in a tortilla.
Cultural Effects
In Germany the packaging of the Döner itself is typically a wax paper sleeve with an image of a male cook sharpening a knife in front of a large spit. This image is so common that it is often mocked in street art.
References
- ^ "King Of Donair Restaurant (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) History". Retrieved 2007-07-23.
- ^ (Finnish) Kebabille.com main page stats (number of restaurants) [1]
External links
- Döner Kebab and More at Turkishcook.com
- Kebab Journal blog community - reviews of (mostly British) kebab shops.
- A search engine for döner kebab (international coverage, but still focus on German kebabs)
- Collection of Döner Kebab paper bags
- recipe for a Halifax-style donair
- Video : Preparation of Döner Kebab
- http://www.naks.org.uk (National Association of Kebab Shops - UK)
- http://www.thechillisource.org Information about Kebabs in general and reviews of London Kebab shops
