Newsletters
Türkiye’s efforts to secure European Union recognition for doner kebab have taken a new turn.
The International Doner Federation (UDOFED) has withdrawn its 2022 application to the EU after disputes with Germany’s doner industry, promising to submit a broader, more inclusive version.
UDOFED President Muhammet Nezif Emek told Hurriyet that the original submission restricted the recipe too much.
“Our application limited what could go into the doner and in what proportions. Doner is not a product that should be narrowed down like that. Since EU rules do not allow altering the text of an application once submitted, we decided to withdraw it rather than move forward with something we could not support,” he said.
The previous application described in detail what kind of meat should be used, the animal’s age, the thickness of the slices, and even how the meat should be cut and cooked.
If approved, doner in Europe would have had to match Turkish standards exactly, or businesses would not have been allowed to use the name.
Emek explained that the Federation now intends to focus more on defining standards for cooking and presentation rather than restricting ingredients.
He added that the aim is to create a framework that respects the legal systems of different countries without limiting trade.
According to Emek, the priority is to have doner officially recognized as a Turkish dish that has been eaten in the region for more than a thousand years.
“Our concern is for it to be confirmed that the doner belongs to the Turks. Everyone knows this already, but we want formal recognition. Doner cannot be taken away by anyone,” he said.
He also stressed that Turkish emigrants played a crucial role in popularizing doner worldwide, particularly in Europe. While this contribution is respected, he underlined that it does not change the fact that doner originated in Türkiye.
Emek acknowledged that the earlier process suffered from poor communication.
Some European producers feared that approval would ban their styles of doner, such as beef-based, vegetarian, or sauce-heavy versions.
He said misleading media reports had fueled these fears. The Federation now plans to include representatives of the European doner industry in the new application to avoid misunderstandings.
The dispute has also been widely covered in Germany, where doner is a staple street food.
The country’s highest-circulation newspaper, Bild, described the row as “spicier than chili sauce,” noting that it had lasted three years. It reported that if Türkiye’s initial application had succeeded, many German variations of doner might have been excluded. With the withdrawal, the paper commented, “nobody will be dictated how to make doner.”
1 min read
4 min read
