Baffling Brussels proposal could force European kebab houses to measure individual slices of doner meat
3 May 2024, 12:56 | Updated: 3 May 2024, 13:37
A bizarre new proposal submitted to Brussels could see European kebab houses forced to measure the thickness of doner meat slices in order to comply with regulations.
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The revelation follows an application filed by Turkey in a bid to protect the legacy of the doner, in much the same way Neapolitan pizza, French Champagne and Polish Vodka require foodstuffs to meet stringent criteria in order to carry the label.
The new rules could see kebab connoisseurs across Europe forced to crack out a ruler, ensuring trimmings of beef and lamb measure '3 to 5mm in thickness'.
Turkey hopes the filing will protect the nation's unofficial national cuisine, ensuring cheap imitations don't tarnish the dish's reputation.
A traditional doner usually consists of yoghurt, tomato and spice marinated meat - generally chicken, beef or lamb - cooked on a rotating steel spit before being sliced onto salad or served in a flatbread.
The proposal suggests a strict criteria for dishes claiming to be 'doner' kebabs, dictating the size, cutting technique and the type of meat used, ensuring a 'certain standard' to its production.
It would also see a separate criteria put in place for chicken doners, with slices measuring between one to two cm in thickness.
It's a move that could see Brits breathe a sigh of relief, given the EU legislation no longer governs UK kebab houses.
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According to the filing, meat must be sliced 'horizontally' and have a 'thickness of 3 to 5mm'.
Turkey wants to register the name doner in Europe so that it can only be used by those conforming to the registered production method and specifications.
If the proposal goes through the three-month process, it would mean that there will be an EU standard for what can be called doner kebab - something that restaurants and stores across Europe will then have to live up to.
One of the nation's most popular exports, the dish is estimated to be worth an impressive €3.5billion across Europe, according to figures provided by the Association of Turkish Döner Producers in Europe.
Although vaguely linked to the EU's protected designation of origin quality scheme, traditional specialties do not fall into the same framework that protects geographically linked foods, Euronews reports.
The enhanced level of protection is awarded to foods specific to a geographical area, which is not the case for the traditional cooking techniques, like the doner's.
Whereas items such as Parma ham and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena have been granted Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) status under European rules, the likes of jamon serrano have been granted a lower level of protected status.
The application will now enter a consultation phase which continues for three months, allowing other nations to challenge Turkey's proposals.
