In Germany, where it is known that the first döner kebab in Europe originated, it has been particularly successful, they serve more than a million kebabs a day and it is the best-selling fast food. In Spain, kebab restaurants first appeared in the big capitals and then spread to the rest of the cities. In Spain, veal, together with mixed chicken and veal, are the most consumed in establishments, but the offer also extends to lamb. The latest trends also lead to cooking turkey, beef and even fish fillets.

The Greek, Turkish, Iranian or Iraqi people can claim the paternity of the lamb recipe, but it is a German who invented the famous turkey recipe.

Types of kebabs

The pita kebab with chips in Europe is usually a sandwich or a pastry made of meat grilled on a grill and cut into thin slices, served in bread with salad, chips and sauce. The type of grill used for kebap in Turkish is called döner, a term that literally means “rotating grill.”

This is a practice that probably originated in Anatolia and known since the Middle Ages as the traveler Bertrandon Bourguignon wrote, during his visit in 1431. The meat is cut a few millimeters thick and stacked in a vertical roaster.

In an electric current the system or gas burners are located behind the tower which allows the meat to cook.

Once cooked, the meat is cut vertically into thin slices. It can be made with various types of meat, according to the customs of each country: Lamb, veal, turkey, chicken, pork. The döner kebab is served in Turkish bread, bread or half a loaf, in the case of a "classic" kebab, but often in a dürüm or a pita.

It is served with lettuce, tomato and onion, although other vegetables can be added. Different sauces can also be added. One of the most common is the white sauce, a type of sesame sauce (Tahina) that is more or less spicy. We also find samurai sauce, pink sauce, mayonnaise sauce, Harissa, tzatziki, tomato sauce, mustard sauce or Andalusian. Each sauce can be elevated by adding Biber Pul, the red pepper.

Originally, the kebab was the food of the Persian kings and in ancient times, the Iranians only consumed it once a year in Nowruz, the new year of the Persian calendar. However, today the kebab is not only consumed almost daily in every Iranian and Turkish household, but has become the number one selling fast food in the world.

In Istanbul, East and West joined hands and the Turkish version of the union between Asia and Europe bequeathed to the Old Continent.