Matthew Hauser '23 | Opinion: Eating in Germany - The Doner Kebab

Most tourists when visiting a foreign country like to operate on a budget. It is quite easy for the expenses to pile up, from hotels, to plane tickets, to souvenirs. In Europe, food can put quite the crunch on your budgeting plans. Restaurants can be quite expensive, and if you do not know where to look, you could end up in the priciest places. That happened to my tour group of Americans venturing through Berlin during our summer exchange program. As we were getting tired and dinnertime was approaching, we conveniently found a place with outdoor seating- right next to the Brandenburg Gate! However, we ended up paying a lot for that location. 

Eating on a budget does not mean you have to sacrifice quality, either. Sitting down will cost you a lot more than finding something you can eat quickly. Enter the Doner Kebab. This kebab, brought to Germany by migrant workers, is a great option for tourists looking for a good meal without paying an arm and a leg for it. Doner Kebab is typically served inside pita or some sort of flatbread, with vertically cooked mutton as the most common meat. On the inside, you can load it with tons of vegetables and sauces for extra flavor.  You can get them in all shapes and sizes, from sit down restaurants to little stands on a street corner. The doners I had around Germany were always filled with different ingredients, so many that it was hard to keep track. These variations all worked for a quick, easy, good meal. 

The doner kebab has become a quintessential German dish, beloved among the greater population. It has made its way into the mainstream German diet along with a whole host of other dishes from Turkey, Poland, Italy, Greece, and the Middle East. The diversity of food options in Germany reflects the growing diversity of the country itself, and it gives tourists the opportunity to experience a wide variety of flavors. As Germany becomes more diverse, to get the full modern German experience, you have to expand beyond just traditional German foods. 

The doner kebab can also be widely found in the United States, in Turkey, and across Europe. I may not know 100% of the ingredients, but I can 100% recommend the dish for tourists looking for the best German experience.