Kebab

Souvlaki's glorious history began in 1924, when Isaak Meraklidis established the first souvlaki shop, Aigyptiakon, in Nikaia. Uncle Isaak, an Armenian from Adana (known for its kebabs), came to Piraeus as a refugee.

The German Food and Agriculture Ministry has lodged an objection with the European Union regarding Türkiye's application to register döner kebab as its traditional dish.

In April, the Istanbul-based International Döner Federation, representing döner producers in Türkiye, applied to the EU to obtain "traditional specialty guaranteed" status for this Turkish delicacy.

Inevitably, last week, the agenda, especially for Turkish people in Berlin was completely occupied by football and döner kebab. Those two topics are strangely intertwined. While the excitement of the European Football Championship is at its peak, the döner closely follows football in Germany. Not a day goes by without a news item about döner appearing in German newspapers.

Türkiye's application to register döner kebab as a traditional Turkish product with the European Union has sparked reactions from Germany.

The International Döner Kebab Federation in Istanbul has filed the application, aiming to both recognize döner as a Turkish product and protect its production standards.

Türkiye takes a critical step toward culinary recognition as the European Union enlists "döner," a quintessential taste of Turkish cuisine, as a "traditional specialty guaranteed" in the EU Official Journal.

The announcement marks the beginning of a three-month objection before the product's official recognition.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on April 22 arrived in Istanbul as he embarked on a three-day tour to Türkiye, marking his first visit to the country in his seven-year duty as the head of the state.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, German Ambassador to Ankara Jürgen Schulz and Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Ahmet Başar Şen welcomed Steinmeier at Istanbul Airport.

The increase in the cost of Turkish specialty döner kebab, reaching $10.90 a portion in Germany and $15.5 in Türkiye, has caused controversy as people take to social media complaining over the cost of living and food prices.

The increase in the price of meat has come back on the agenda as the price of döner kebab has risen to 10 euros in Germany.

Türkiye's southeastern province of Gaziantep, which has recently ranked ninth among the world's best gastronomy cities as chosen by a world-renowned rating company, continues promoting its dishes internationally.

Türkiye's leading online food delivery application, Yemeksepeti, has announced that the most preferred food in Türkiye is chicken doner kebab, called "tavuk döner dürüm" in Turkish, in its latest data.

In a revelation for food enthusiasts, Taste Atlas has rolled out its eagerly awaited list of the "World's Most Iconic Food Places" for 2023, showcasing the crème de la crème of global gastronomy. This year's list features six restaurants from around Türkiye.