The doner, known as Germany’s national dish, is being skewered by the rising prices of ingredients amid cost of living crisis, MPs are told
It has always been a delicious – if slightly greasy – treat for Germans, perhaps even their national dish.
But the mighty döner kebab has now become a symbol of the country’s cost of living crisis, amid warnings from some quarters that the dish will soon cost more than €10 a serving.
Peckish Germans are so concerned about rising prices that the issue was debated this week in the Bundestag, the German parliament.
Hanna Steinmüller, an MP for the Greens, raised the issue after she was approached by anxious members of a frisbee youth club in Gesundbrunnen, part of her Berlin constituency.
Among the frisbee players’ main concerns, she told MPs, was “increased kebab prices” which are estimated to have gone up from around €3.50 (£2.90) in 2022 to at least €6 (£5.10) in recent months.
In November, one major döner producer warned that it was becoming a “luxury” dish that could soon end up costing as much as €10 (£8.50).
Same for burger prices in the US.
Back when I was in college and shortly after, I pretty much lived on $0.99 Whoppers from Burger King.
Looking at the app, the local price now is $10.23, which is €9.48 or £8.09.
Although that is a great drunk food metric for the Midwest. Southwestern border states track burrito inflation, northeastern states track the cost of a slice, and southeastern states drunk food currency is pegged to the Waffle House bill.
The reason I went with burgers is because of the whole notion of the kabob being a national dish for Germany.
Burritos and pizza and wafflehouse are all popular, but nothing is as national as burgers.
I ordered a Burger King last week and it was £11.46 for a double whopper meal, around $14.48 or €13.40. It’s not a cheap meal any more.
Ok I love Döner as much as every Berliner but it is not our national dish lmao
Find a single other dish that is both commonly eaten and over-regional. Even if Currywurst was properly over-regional, it’s a snack, not an actual meal.
If you ask canteens the most popular dish is Rinderrouladen but I assure you a lot more Döner are eaten every day.
I propose we add Döner to Article 22 of the Basic Law. That’s where it belongs.
The California equivalent would be burrito inflation.
Similarly, isn’t there some kind of relationship between the slice pizza and the cost of a subway ride in NYC?
I have noticed both going up. I miss it when I could take the family to a diner once every two weeks and have family breakfast. Last time we did that the bill was 50 dollars. I can’t justify that kinda cost. By the looks of the restaurants in my area other people are deciding the same way.
warnings from some quarters that the dish will soon cost more than €10 a serving. Hanna Steinmüller, an MP for the Greens, raised the issue after she was approached by anxious members of a frisbee youth club
What the fuck am I reading here? That does not sound like very reliable sources. It sounds more like complete bullshit.
I don’t know from where they got the frisbee club thingy but it’s real and I don’t see why you’d think it isn’t.
?? So you are saying a kebab is ALREADY €10 Euro, or are you saying that you too fear that it will soon be?
Nobody denies rising cost of living in general, but that’s not what the article is about.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already 10 Euros in some places. E.g. my town is notorious for not having cheap options, every single place has good meat, not only are none trying to get away with selling Hackfleischspieß as Döner, none of them use any ground meat at all (by law, a Döner skewer can’t contain stabilisers which severely limits the amount of ground meat you can include before it falls apart).
Eight Euros are pretty much standard here. Just under 10 if you want a Lahmacun Döner, and my town isn’t the poshest, by far – we just have good taste in Döner and one very old shop which always made their own skewers, own spice mix, own everything, which set the standard.
Try to get the same stuff in Westerland and I wouldn’t be surprise if it costs 15 Euros.
Really? Is that normal Kebab size in pita bread, or the bigger variant in rolls? Because that sounds crazy expensive even here, and I’m from Denmark, the 2nd most expensive country in Europe after Norway AFAIK.
Pide and Dürum tend to be equal size and generally also cost the same. Lahmacun tend to be bigger than Dürum in the first place and then you have extra meat on there, no wonder it costs more you’re putting a Döner in something that’s already a proper Pizza.
And, as said: It’s actually good meat. If you want bad meat go to McDonalds.
OK it’s apparently been a while since I last bought Kebab or Shawarma which is more common here in Copenhagen, but AFAIK the same thing. I just checked the prices, and they are already €8-10 here!
20 years ago they were only €2 on Nørrebrogade which had super steep competition, and they were crazy good, I’ve only gotten good quality meat here too. Crazy that it’s so expensive now?!
Doner kebab for the people - this is why we fight! Whether you call it Doner, Gyro or Shawarma we stand united!
Thanks for clarifying. I looked it up and was expecting shish kebobs of some kind but it looked like a gyro lol
Excuse me, I will not die for gyro or shawarma.
Judging by the sketchy-ass places I’ve gotten gyros from, I’m perfectly willing to die for a gyro.
Hey at least it’s mostly cooked. The very worst case of food poisoning I have ever gotten was from a green salad.
This is what happens when the disparity in wealth grows instead of shrinks.
I find this very exaggerated. In my experience, Germany has one of the most balanced cost-of-living situations of any developed country I’ve been to. Inflation is something all Western countries have been going through lately, but Germany remains relatively affordable compared to most of their peers.
if slightly greasy
What? Döner is really not that greasy.
Have you seen the meat? It literally pours out grease. Fun fact: a main ingredient of döner meat is chicken skin.
