Doner kebab, made by stacking slices of meat and slowly roasting them on a rotating spit, evolved from a recipe associated with Ottoman cuisine into a global food found on the streets of Europe, in Middle Eastern markets and at food trucks in the United States.
Over a journey spanning centuries, migrants carried the method to new countries, where it acquired various names and flavours, from shawarma to trompo and tacos árabes. Doner's popularity is not limited to the aroma of grilled meat and its quick serving style; the meal can also provide protein and a number of vitamins and minerals.
Its nutritional value, however, depends on the meat, bread and additions used. Choosing lean meat and wholewheat bread, increasing the amount of vegetables and herbs, and limiting sauces and additions rich in sodium and calories make the meal more balanced.
Rotating-spit roasting in the origins of ancient cooking
Food historian Ken Albala, a professor at California State University, Pacific, says that roasting meat on a rotating spit is “one of the oldest cooking methods known to humans”. In this method, the meat is not placed directly over the fire but cooked slowly beside it, helping it develop a distinctive, rich flavour.
Susan Sherratt, emeritus professor of archaeology at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, says scenes of feasts featuring meat roasted on spits appear clearly in the epics “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”. Iron spits that may have been used for roasting have also been found in the Aegean region. They date back to the 10th century BC, according to statements carried by CNN.
Ottoman cooks develop the stacking of meat slices
Ancient rotating-spit methods continued to involve cooking whole animals or large cuts of meat until Ottoman cooks developed a different technique: arranging thin slices of raw meat in a dense cone around a metal spit, then cooking them gradually as the spit rotated in front of the heat source.
In her book “The Rich Empire: A History of Ottoman Cuisine”, researcher Mary Işın cites early evidence of the method, based on a manuscript dating to 1620. The manuscript shows cooks slicing meat from rotating spits made of tightly packed layers after the Ottoman statesman Hafız Ahmed Pasha commissioned them to prepare the dish for members of the elite during royal outings.
By the early 19th century, the recipe had spread across large parts of the Ottoman Empire, which extended from central Europe and North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.
Işın says that doner then moved from the tables of the elite to food available to the general public, later becoming a favourite among tourists visiting kebab restaurants in Istanbul after it was widely described as “the most delicious dish in the country”. Ottoman texts found by Işın and dating to the 15th century show that meat roasted on rotating spits was called “çevirme kebabı”.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the term became the word “shawarma” in Arabic and English, while the name “doner” replaced “çevirme” within the Ottoman Empire. According to Işın, both names refer to meat roasted on a rotating spit.
Migration carries doner abroad and changes its names and recipes
From the lands of the Ottoman Empire, the method of preparing the meat spread to the Middle East and Europe, while migrants from Asia Minor carried doner to Greece. As migrant communities moved between continents, the types of meat, marinades and serving methods changed, and the dish acquired local names reflecting its shape or the new environment where it settled.
In Germany, doner became one of the favourite meals, according to Ayşe Çağlar, professor of anthropology at the University of Vienna. The number of doner kebab restaurants in the capital, Berlin, reached 1,000, while the dish generated annual revenues of €3.5 billion across Europe, according to the Association of Turkish Doner Producers in Europe.
One name that emerged as the roasting method spread was the Spanish word “trompo”, meaning the game “spinning top”. The name is linked to the similarity between the toy and the vertical conical shape of the meat fixed to the spit before its roasted outer layer is sliced. The recipe also reached Mexico across the Atlantic.
Jeffrey Pilcher, professor of food history at the University of Toronto, says that a large Lebanese community of Ottoman origin brought shawarma to Mexico in the late 19th century. There, the meal became known as “tacos árabes”, meaning “Arab tacos”, as part of the recipe’s local adaptations. Turkish doner is usually made from thin slices of lamb, beef or chicken, stacked on a large spit and slowly rotated in front of the heat.
Doner moves from the street to major restaurants
When the outer layer becomes golden and crisp, the cook carefully cuts slices from it while the inner mass continues to rotate and cook in stages. Chef Vedat Başaran, owner of a well-known restaurant in Istanbul and a researcher of Ottoman culinary heritage, says doner has moved from being food sold only on the streets to a meal served by restaurants.
Istanbul’s largest doner restaurants receive thousands of customers each day, serving very thin slices of meat on plates alongside thin lavash bread, fresh salad and onion sprinkled with sumac. Başaran adds that doner has become a meal suited to celebrations and gatherings among all sections of society.
By contrast, small restaurants across Istanbul offer another version, in which the meat is cut into thick slices and placed inside pita bread as a sandwich. This differs from the traditional Turkish method but is much closer to the doner commonly served in Germany. Despite the apparent similarity between doner and shawarma, their marinades and serving methods give each dish a distinct character.
Doner is generally known for a mild flavour with a smoky edge. It uses high-quality, tender meat lightly seasoned with salt and black pepper, allowing the natural flavour of the meat to remain clear. Doner is served wrapped in lavash bread, stuffed into pita bread, or placed over rice with yoghurt, grilled vegetables and butter-rich sauces.
It is also served in the “Iskender” style, with slices of meat covered in tomato sauce, butter and yoghurt. This variation gives the dish different textures and flavours depending on how it is prepared. Shawarma, meanwhile, is distinguished by a stronger marinade containing a blend of cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and garlic, giving it a richly spiced, aromatic flavour.
It is usually served inside pita bread with tahini, garlic sauce, pickles and fresh salads. Cooking instructor and food blogger Sophie Renwick describes doner as the “great-grandfather” of the recipes that grew from it, including shawarma, trompo and tacos.
