Happy 50th, Döner Kebap

[Arneb]

50 years ago today, lore has it, a so-called "guest-worker" named Kadir Nurman sold the first Döner Kebap out of his snack stall at Zoo Station in West Berlin. The sandwich, a lucky combination of generous portions, modest prices, relatively healthy ingredients, Turkish traditions and German tastes, hit on well with passers-by, and the rest, as they say, is history. Richard_A will attest to the fact that you can live off the stuff for months, if you are in pinch .

Any Merkins interested in a taste may want to visit Kotti Berlin Doner in NYC instead of making the hop over the pond. It is reported to be almost genuine. And the YouTube channel Pro Home Cooks has an episode on the Döner in its sandwich series.

Also, juten Appetit, wa. Mit oda ohne schahf?

[Heid the Ba]

Der kebab vom Bahnhof Zoo.

[Richard A]

In fact, Richard_A lived mostly off Bürek, not Döner Kebap, during those months. From, if memory serves, a stall on the platform in Spichernstrasse U-Bahn station. But it is true that when he recounted the tale to Arneb, he merely referred to "Turkish food", without further detail. Also, I never knew that the Döner Kebap was actually created in West Berlin. It seems a little too similar to the Gyros and - the best of the bunch by a long way - the Shawarma not to have its origins rather more than 50 years ago and somewhere in the Ottoman realms. But it's still a great story!

Well, Arneb will be pleased to know I have now found a place that serves great Shawarma within easy reach of the private law school where I teach part-time - though it's slightly too upmarket to do as the budget food that Turkish food was for me back in the day. But Bürek is harder to find; maybe examine the Turkish food options in London and Cambridge a bit more carefully!

[tubeswell]

Das macht mich sehr hungrig. Zeit fürs Mittagessen!

[g-one]

Das macht mich sehr hungrig. Zeit fürs Mittagessen!

That looks so good. I'm going to have to get me a doner/gyros/shawarma sometime soon. I thought I would have to go to the big city an hour and a half away, but just found out we have now got a Doner Kebab joint in town 15 min. away.

Watch on youtube.com

[Arneb]

In fact, Richard_A lived mostly off Bürek, not Döner Kebap, during those months. From, if memory serves, a stall on the platform in Spichernstrasse U-Bahn station. But it is true that when he recounted the tale to Arneb, he merely referred to "Turkish food", without further detail.

Oh, you took me out to this one once, in rememberance of that stay. I found the Börek (not Bürek) a bit dry, but it was worth it for old time's sake. IIRC, the stall was on the floor above the platform, but we can clear this up next time you're here. They've since spruced up Spichernstraße considerably, though. Maybe the physical stall isn't there anymore.

Also, I never knew that the Döner Kebap was actually created in West Berlin. It seems a little too similar to the Gyros and - the best of the bunch by a long way - the Shawarma not to have its origins rather more than 50 years ago and somewhere in the Ottoman realms. But it's still a great story!

AFAIK, the idea of cutting up and marinating meat and then stacking, grilling and cutting it vertically for juiciness and crispiness throughout is indeed from the Ottoman empire. The game-changing bit of engineering that was done in Berlin was the use of the Pitta bread as a food bowl (perhaps inspired by our use of rolls as a vessel for sausages), the addition of a mixed raw salad including red cabbage, and the invention of the seasoning sauces so popular here.

Well, Arneb will be pleased to know I have now found a place that serves great Shawarma within easy reach of the private law school where I teach part-time - though it's slightly too upmarket to do as the budget food that Turkish food was for me back in the day. But Bürek is harder to find; maybe examine the Turkish food options in London and Cambridge a bit more carefully!

They'll gentrify everything, everything, won't they?

[Arneb]

Das macht mich sehr hungrig. Zeit fürs Mittagessen!

Großartige Idee!

[Richard A]

Oh, you took me out to this one once, in rememberance of that stay. I found the Börek (not Bürek) a bit dry, but it was worth it for old time's sake. IIRC, the stall was on the floor above the platform, but we can clear this up next time you're here. They've since spruced up Spichernstraße considerably, though. Maybe the physical stall isn't there anymore.

That sounds like a great idea - not least the encouragement of "next time you're here"!

They'll gentrify everything, everything, won't they?

Well, I suspect it's the location. There are still plenty of the cheaper kebab shops of the type we've been talking about. And probably even Shawarma ones if one looks carefully.