ISTANBUL: Turkiye has decided to withdraw its application to have doner kebab officially recognized as a “traditional specialty guaranteed” within the European Union, according to a report by Hürriyet Daily News.
The decision ends a years-long culinary effort which aimed to “safeguard” one of Turkiye’s most iconic dishes within EU law by standardising it’s preparation under a set of rules.
The Istanbul-based International Doner Federation (UDOFED) had originally filed the application to ensure that doner sold across Europe would adhere to authentic “Turkish style”.
If approved, the EU designation would have restricted the use of meats such as veal or turkey and required restaurants to follow specific Turkish methods of preparation.
However, an EU Commission spokesperson confirmed that on September 23 UDOFED officially withdrew its application, closing the registration process.
No official explanation was provided for the withdrawal.
EU insiders, cited by Hurriyet, suggested that Turkiye’s move may have been aimed at avoiding a likely rejection - a possibility that had been flagged in European media reports earlier in the week.
The most vocal opposition came from Germany, where doner has become a cornerstone of everyday cuisine and a multibillion-euro industry.
German officials argued that EU-wide restrictions based on Turkiye’s specifications could disrupt local practices and potentially impact as many as 60,000 jobs.
Local media stressed that Germany’s popular style of doner - often wrapped in flatbread and served with yogurt sauces and fresh vegetables - might have been limited or even banned under the proposed rules.
Despite the controversy, UDOFED consultant Huriye Ozener emphasized, according to German media referenced by Hurriyet, that Turkiye’s intention was never to damage foreign markets.
Rather, the goal was to preserve the dish’s traditional preparation and cultural roots while ensuring formal recognition of its Turkish origin.
