Subscribe to the RSS feed.Germans React to Healthier Kebab - Would Americans?
By:
Chris Palmedo, for CHP | Posted on: June 4th, 2009
| 
1 comments
| Share: 
Categories:
Nutrition •
Public Health
A while back, I was grabbing a sandwich at Döner Kebab, the Gernan resaurant in downtown Portland, and had an interesting chat with the owner.
Döner kebab is a Turkish invention that literally means “rotating roast,” made from meat cooked on a vertical spit and sliced off on sandwiches like Greek gyros. Due in part to the large migration of Turks to Germany, the Döner has bizarrely enough become something of a German national fast food - particularly in Berlin.
German native Johan Arkosi opened Döner Kebab in Portland a couple of years ago. His version is delectable, the key to which is his secret spice blend which is one of those “if I told you I’d have to kill you” recipes.
The regular sandwich may be seen by hungry diners as slightly light on the meat. Ordering “double meat” gives you an extra bowl of sliced doner. That, however, may be too much. The solution: Go with someone else, both order doner kebabs and get one double meat serving to share and stuff into your sandwiches.
In Germany, the meat can be lamb, mutton, beef, goat, turkey or chicken, or some combination thereof.
But Johan told me that his döner is made only of turkey. And here’s why: a friend of his owns several döner stands in Germany (where Döner is mostly sold in carts, stands, or small eateries and not so much “restaurants”) and when the friend switched from beef/lamb to turkey, business went up 40%!
“Because people want to be healthy,” he said.
Which made me wonder: Would Johan’s friend have similar results he he made the same switch in the U.S?
Do Americans prefer less healthy fast food?
Are Americans just less health-conscious than Germans?
Döner Kebab and German Cuisine (515 SW 4th Ave., 295-4929).
1 Comment:
Next entry: 
Previous entry: 
Back to main
The great thing about döner kebab is that you can really load them up with veggies—everything from peppers to cole slaw. Do that instead of opt (and pay) for extra meat, I say.