Döner kebab is a food institution in Berlin, with carts and restaurants nearly as ubiquitous as the Späti. Store fronts and food stands and even more temporary structures alike, are nearly everywhere in the city, offering Döner for just around 3.50 euro. The food itself is comprised of fresh and roasted vegetables, seasoned meat cooked on a rotisserie, sauce, and bread to hold it all together. Each store may have a different way of seasoning the food, different ingredients and variations on the general idea, or even abandon the bread and put the other ingredients on French fries, however, the basic formula remains constant.
Once arriving in Berlin it quickly became clear that I would be eating a lot of Döner. Widely it is the most available food in the city. Though Döner is enjoyed by patrons of all ages, the convenience, low price, and volume particularly lend it to student consumption.
The history and invention of Döner is a widely disputed story. Dishes similar to Döner kebab have existed around southern Mediterranean regions for centuries, but the prevailing narrative seems to be that it was invented by a young Turkish immigrant in Berlin named Kadir Nurman in 1972. His inspiration was that he wanted to find a way to make a traditional Turkish meal of skewered meat, vegetables, and rice more mobile, so he took the basic components and wrapped them in bread.
This narrative, and indeed the wide presence of Döner, also tells an interesting political history. The largest minority group in Germany is people with Turkish "migration backgrounds", often following highly incentivized guest worker programs that were developed in Germany following WWII as a way to jumpstart the struggling German economy. The continued presence and growth of these communities in German society and culture has led to cultural questions of definition, identity, law, and tradition in areas large and small. Dealing with something as significant as equal housing and education, or something like Döner. Mostly the question is, who gets to decide who and what is German?
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