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While Germany has so many signature dishes (Schnitzel! Schweinshaxe! Wurst!), few — if any — are so innately satisfying as the döner kebab, a Turkish dish that is wildly popular in Deutschland.
I still remember my first döner. I was in Landstuhl on a cold, gray January day. It was early afternoon. My wife and I had arrived in Germany one week earlier. The reality of a first overseas move was setting in — a strange, bewildering sort of disorientation. We needed lunch. One of my wife’s colleagues had raved about a Turkish imbiss called Ali Baba that served a type of food called a döner kebab. A what? Sure, we half-shrugged. Fine. Let’s give it a try. If we didn’t like it, we could always have schnitzel again for dinner.
But then, 15 minutes after walking through the glass door into the small antechamber that is the entirety of Ali Baba, we took our first bites and, suddenly, all was right with the world. We fell madly and immediately in love with döners, forever. It triggered another sort of bewilderment, a wondrous one this time. How did that happen, and how did it happen so fast?
What the heck is a döner kebab?
For the uninitiated, the döner is basically a sandwich. But calling it a sandwich would be a crude insult and would understate the awesomeness of what a döner truly is. In reality, it’s like a hand-held meal that’s good for the body and the soul.
The döner begins with an inverted cone of seasoned meat — beef, veal, and chicken are popular in Germany, and are also less expensive alternatives to traditional lamb — that is roasted on a vertical spit. Next, strips of cooked meat are sliced from the spit, tossed on a warm pita, and layered with cheese (usually a form of feta), spices, vegetables, and a secret sauce that varies from restaurant to restaurant. The döner is served warm, looks impossible to eat (because it is so massive), and has the capacity to satisfy at a soul level as soon as the first bite.
Döner kebabs in Germany by the numbers
We were not the only people in Germany to fall well and truly in love with döner kebabs. The rest of the country is bonkers for them, too.
According to the Berlin-based Association of Kebab Manufacturers in Europe, around 400 tons of döner kebabs are produced every day across the continent, with annual sales of €2.4 billion in Germany alone, and €3.5 billion in Europe.
To put that in perspective: the German beer industry generated €8.9 billion in revenues in 2023. Which means that, roughly, one euro is spent on döners for every four euro spent on beer. Which means that there’s no doubt: döners are a national heavyweight in Germany.
A brief history of döner in Germany
The story of döner kebabs in Germany begins in 1961, when Germany was facing a severe post-WWII labor shortage. In that year, West Germany signed an agreement with Turkey that would ultimately bring hundreds of thousands of Turkish workers northward. This agreement continues to shape German culture today, as around 4 million people, or approximately 5 percent of the country’s population, live in Germany.
Though it seems like it could have ancient roots, the döner is actually pretty new, having originated in northeast Turkey in its current, vertically roasted form, in the mid-19th century. Credit for popularizing the döner to Germany is given to Turkish guest workers in Berlin in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and a man named Kadir Nurman is credited with inventing the form that took the country by storm (he was even given a lifetime achievement award for it). From Berlin, Nurman’s döner style spread quickly across the country. Now, there are tens of thousands of döner shops across the country.
Where do I find a döner?
My favorite döner shop remains Ali Baba, which is still in Landstuhl, and still (last I checked) run by the same straight-faced gentleman who first ushered us into the marvelous world of döner kebab. Highly recommended.
But don’t be afraid to branch out. Good döner can be found almost anywhere in Germany. The sheer number of shops almost guarantees that you’ll get a quality experience. After all, word spreads fast if a döner isn’t up to snuff, and there are plenty of willing competitors to serve you the next one.
Döners are also fantastic alternatives to holiday food. If you’re tired of turkey, or Christmas ham, or cranberries, or sugar cookies, or whatever, then grab a döner. If you’re looking to create a new holiday tradition, try a döner. You won’t regret it.
