From Berlin to the Globe. The Transnational Story of Döner Kebab.

Abstract

Transnational food practices form an essential yet also neglected topic in the field of diaspora studies. In the context of migration or exile, specific food items often become ‘agents of memory,’ while the food sector (for example, grocery stores, snack bars, and restaurants) can offer important business options for diasporic communities. This chapter examines how döner kebab has developed into one of Turkey’s most successful signature dishes, becoming a big business item in many countries around the world. It traces the global history of döner kebab with a focus on Germany, arguably the diasporic space in which döner kebab was invented as a fast food in the 1970s. The chapter’s analysis pays particular attention to the processes of culinary transfer and translation, as well as to the role of döner kebab in anti-immigrant politics.