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Doner Kebab (Döner Kebap)

Ingredients

Adjust Servings:

	600 g minced lamb
	100 g yogurt
	1 pcs onion peeled roughly chopped
	60 g Breadcrumbs
	1 teaspoon paprika
	1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
	1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
	1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
	a pinch ground cinnamon
	a pinch white pepper
	1 sprig fresh mint chopped
	2-3 sprigs fresh parsley chopped
	1 tablespoon Salt
	1/2 lemon lemon juice
	Stuffing
	1 pcs onion peeled roughly chopped
	1 pcs tomatoes roughly chopped
	1/2 pcs fresh cucumber
	1/4 pcs cabbage roughly chopped
	1/4 pcs lettuce
	Wrap
	8 pcs pita bread

Doner Kebab (Döner Kebap)

Name: Doner Kebab (Döner Kebap)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 160 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 8 Servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: minced lamb: 600 g; yogurt: 100 g; onion peeled roughly chopped: 1 pcs; Breadcrumbs: 60 g; paprika: 1 teaspoon; granulated garlic: 1/2 teaspoon; ground coriander: 1/2 teaspoon; ground cumin: 1/2 teaspoon; ground cinnamon: a pinch; white pepper: a pinch; fresh mint chopped: 1 sprig; fresh parsley chopped: 2-3 sprigs; Salt: 1 tablespoon; lemon juice: 1/2 lemon; onion peeled roughly chopped: 1 pcs; tomatoes roughly chopped: 1 pcs; fresh cucumber: 1/2 pcs; cabbage roughly chopped: 1/4 pcs; lettuce: 1/4 pcs; pita bread: 8 pcs

Cuisine:

Turkish

180
Serves 8
Medium

Ingredients

600 g minced lamb
100 g yogurt
1 pcs onion peeled roughly chopped
60 g Breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
a pinch ground cinnamon
a pinch white pepper
1 sprig fresh mint chopped
2-3 sprigs fresh parsley chopped
1 tablespoon Salt
1/2 lemon lemon juice
Stuffing
1 pcs onion peeled roughly chopped
1 pcs tomatoes roughly chopped
1/2 pcs fresh cucumber
1/4 pcs cabbage roughly chopped
1/4 pcs lettuce
Wrap
8 pcs pita bread

Directions

Doner Kebab or Döner Kebap, without a doubt, is one of the trademarks of Turkish cuisine. Its fame has long ago crossed the borders of Turkey and today is one of the most popular street food in the world. Maybe the best evidence is a fact that it is popular even in Vietnam and Japan. Doner Kebab recipe consists of beef or lamb meat seasoned with spices and herbs, baked on a vertical spit-roast.

Doner Kebab Recipe Origin

It is assumed that the doner kebab was first made in the middle of the 19th century. Until then, meat was usually prepared on a horizontal rotisserie. According to legend, the credit for this invention is attributed to Iskender Efendi. He suggested to his father to try this invention in the family restaurant in Bursa. Very quickly it proved to be a complete success and this is where the world story of doner kebab begins. Iskender Efendi in culinary history is also known for invention of extremely popular Iskender Kebab.

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Word döner originates from Turkish word dönmek which means “to rotate” and kebab is the common name for grilled meat. In literal translation döner kebap means “rotating roast”.

Based on it, similar dishes were formed in other cuisines around the world. For example, gyros in Greece, Shawarma in the Middle East and Al Pastor in Mexico.

Today, it is one of the most popular street foods in Turkey. You can find it served in many ways. However, some are more common, such as Iskender kebab, durum (wrap), Porsiyon (plate portion with grilled peppers).

Conquest of Europe

In the 1960s, it began “conquest of Europe”. Namely, then Turkish workers migrate to Europe, and they brought doner kebabs with them. Thanks to this it is super popular street food in Europe. This is especially the case in Germany. It is even believed, completely incorrectly though, that it was invented there. However, the truth is that takeaway doner kebab wasn’t invented in Germany, more precisely in Berlin.

The credit for that goes to Kadir Nurman, who had his shop at the famous Berlin Zoo Station. The rest is history. It is estimated that around 2 million doners are sold per day in Germany, and this industry is worth over 4 billion Euros annually. There are more than 4,000 doner kebab shops in Berlin alone, even more than in Istambul.

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Apart from Germany, doner kebab is popular in France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Austria, but also in the USA, Canada, all the way to Australia, Vietnam and Japan. Of course, in each of these countries, it is served in a slightly different way, with a local twist.

This doner kebab recipe is homemade, and I got it from my friend Stefan, a local food guide, from Berlin. As he explained to me, the recipe for doner kebab is like street food and does not require vertical roasting.

Steps

1 Done	Put chopped onion, parsley, mint and olive oil in a blender.
2 Done	In a deep bowl, mix minced lamb, breadcrumbs, coriander, cumin, garlic, paprika, salt, cinnamon, white pepper and yoghurt. Add the mixture from the blender (step 1) and pour in the juice of half a lemon. Mix everything well until you get a compact mass.
3 Done	From the meat, make a meatloaf with a diameter of 7-8 cm, wrap it in aluminium foil and put it in the oven. Bake at 220 °C for at least 2.5 hours. Make sure meat is properly baked.
4 Done	When the doner is baked, cut it lengthwise into small slices.
5 Done	While the doner is baking, chop the tomatoes, onions, lettuce, cabbage, and cucumbers.
6 Done	Put vegetables from step 5 on pita bread, add thinly sliced doner, pour over yoghurt and wrap. That is it, you got a finger-licking doner kebab.