The Story of the Turkish Fast Food that Conquered Germany

When Germany started bringing over Turkish guest workers in the 1960's, little did the country's leaders realize that it was also importing what was to become Germany's top-selling fast food: doner. Indeed, in many German cities, doner is as much part of the culinary landscape as bratwurst and other sausages.

In Berlin in the early 1970s, Turkish “guest workers,’’ who had come to Germany during the prosperous era a decade before and were trying to make ends meet, had the idea to pack the crispy, succulent meat slices into a warm, thick loaf of Turkish bread. The sandwich evolved to include chopped tomatoes, onions, cabbage, and cucumber slices, topped with a large ladle of sauce, usually a garlicky yogurt sauce or a mildly spicy tomato sauce. The result is a tasty, robust, and quick sandwich that Germans of all ethnicities order for lunch, dinner, and after last call.

“It’s fast, but it also tastes good, it’s healthy, and it’s inexpensive,’’ says Ahmet Tetik, 46, who started working in Sultan Palast when his father, Hassan, opened the place in 1994. A regular doner there costs about $4.60 (prices at other establishments vary from $3 to $6), which is inexpensive for a meaty sandwich that packs a lot of taste.

The doner’s impact has been as much cultural as culinary, representing Turkish integration into Germany (ethnic Turks are playing on the national soccer team). Tetik estimates that 80 percent of his customers are German, including many regulars whom the family considers friends.

According to the Association of Turkish Doner Producers in Europe, there are about 15,500 doner spots in Germany, selling about 400 tons of meat daily and generating about $3.3 billion in revenue. That’s more than the country’s McDonald’s and Burger King restaurants combined. From the factories to the stands, Germany’s doner industry employs about 60,000 people.

For those interested in trying doner in its natural habitat, Istanbul Eats has a roundup of the best spots in Istanbul.