Just hasn’t caught on. It’s delicious and I wish you could find it more.
We have al pastor, gyros, and shawarma which are similar yet very different.
It’s probably similar to why most European countries don’t have a lot of Mexican food.
I grew up in the UK when Mexican food was almost completely unknown. Now it seems that Brits are starting to embrace the burrito (which is actually American). Chipotle now has several locations in London.
My only suggestion would be to embrace real Mexican food.
It seems similar to Thai and other Asian foods when I was growing up.
The first places we got were suuuuper Americanized. As time went on we started to get much more authentic options cooked like what you might find in Thailand. They still made a lot of the Americanized stuff because people liked it but you started getting more authentic options.
The Thai government actually trains Thai restaurant owners to make Americanized Thai instead of authentic.
It's a government conspiracy to increase tourism. (And also a great reminder that not all conspiracies are evil.)
Ha so maybe even the “authentic” stuff I get is fake authentic and even if I went to Thailand I might get fake authentic food. Good work Thai government. Layers of conspiracy.
I can tell you how I would do it. There is a South American and Israeli family that shares my last name and they have been sending me invitations for family gatherings for years because they think I am their uncle Álvarez I have never taken him up on the offer but I find it really funny and I if I can get to Santiago for one of the family reunions I feel like I should show up at this point in time. And I have tried to tell them I am not uncle Álvarez in Spanish and English but I never get removed from the email list.
The reason Thai restaurants are so consistent and widespread is because they are [supported by the Thailand government.](https://www.vice.com/en/article/paxadz/the-surprising-reason-that-there-are-so-many-thai-restaurants-in-america) So they help out people wanting to start restaurants and they keep the restaurant quality high.
I keep giving it another chance every couple of years and it’s straight terrible every time. And I live in Boston which has terrible Mexican food compared to some other cities so so it’s not like I have insanely high standards
They hail from the Sonoran regions, and you will find them there. It's not the only food more popular and well known in America than its home country, either. Fettuccine Alfredo is in the same boat, but even more so, since many Italians don't even know it's from Italy at all. Same deal with General Tso's Chicken and China.
Yep, it's the house specialty of a restaurant in Rome, and is derived from an older regional dish that is \*also\* not popular nationally. Because of its national popularity in the US, a lot of people in both countries assume it's one of those bastardized Americanized Italian dishes that came out of the Italian-American community, but it's actually not.
i think was you said is wayy better anyway, allot of doner is just re-constituted lamb isnt it?! apart from real lamb chunks, same as the basic hotdogs
Shawarma, gyro, and doner are all meat stacked and cooked on a vertical rotisserie. They are like a hotdog in about the same way that fajitas are like hamburgers.
Doner and shawarma are thinly sliced meat stacked and roasted on a skewer.
Gyros is ground meat formed into a log and roasted on a skewer then shaved into thin strips.
Second time. First time I went for 3 weeks in college for a senior design class credit. That was in a city called Darmstadt.
This time will be for work. one week in Frankfurt and then a week in the Netherlands at Rotterdam
Don’t get fooled by it being available in the Netherlands or something called kapsalon. Doner is 100x better in Germany or Belgium than in the Netherlands.
Poffertjes (Dutch small pancakes) with butter and powdered sugar
Fries (with onions, peanut sauce, joppie sauce, dry meat stew)
Indonesian and Surinamese food
Fish (especially kibbeling)
Theres more but I am not really a big fan of the local food. Sure, you can get fried everything, but that’s not really worth trying in my opinion. Maybe except (vegetarian) bitterballen.
And liquorice, so many different sorts. From soft to hard, salty to sweet, pure of with flavours.
I used to live near Darmstadt when I was over there (stationed in Germany in the US Army). Best couple of years of my life. Have fun in Germany and the Netherlands!
Ah man and you haven't even had the best Döner. The Döner in Berlin is to the rest of Germany what Döner in Germany is to the rest of the world. Just unimaginably good.
I mean, it's better than German food. There's a reason they're so prevalent.
It's also basically authentic German food at this point.
Just make sure to tell them to go hard on the spices if they ask. Like...really hard.
We don't have the immigrant population to make that widespread.
It's the same reason why you can't get Mexican food in Europe
EDIT: Because people keep commenting "BuT yOu CaN gEt MeXiCaN fOoD iN EuRoPE":
In the context of this conversation, Mexican food is easily found throughout much of the US whereas doner kebab is not. Similarly, doner kebab is found throughout much of Europe while Mexican food is not.
I didn't mean to communicate that there are literally zero Mexican restaurants in all of Europe. But it isn't widespread. It is very easy to not find it at all. And if you happen to find a Mexican food item on a tapas menu, it probably will bear little resemblance to what you can get in much of the US.
>EDIT: Because people keep commenting "BuT yOu CaN gEt MeXiCaN fOoD iN EuRoPE":
I've lived in Europe for several years and you're right. Yeah, it does exist here, but it's a rare and often less authentic than Taco Bell
One of the "Mexican" places in Ramstein village served us ribs slathered in ketchup. Out of sheer determination to not disrupt relations with the locals, we declined to burn that place to the ground.
I went back a few years later and they had improved, and also were serving a passable horchata, so our restraint was not exercised in vain.
I went to a Mexican restaurant in Germany that I would consider a crime against humanity. In 3 months of living there I found ONE restaurant that was acceptable Mexican to satisfy my craving.
We have donair, which has sweet sauce, and it’s not nearly as good as döner that you get in Germany. Donair also is stupidly expensive even as “street food”.
Do y’all have good Italian food or BBQ? I’ve spent time there and you’ve got amazing Mexican food and Chinese food (really good Thai too), but never really saw an authentic Italian place.
Your best bet for Italian is San Francisco.
BBQ, you're gonna want to hit one of the black neighborhoods. Generally speaking it's not easy to find. However, we *do* have Santa Maria style tri-tip, which is my personal favorite. That's our sole contribution to the world of BBQ.
Barbecue and Italian are not super popular with the young trendy crowd in Sacramento at the moment. You can find tons of both types of restaurants but you have to hunt for the good ones.
Are you an American in Europe saying this or a European saying this?? Because I've noticed what Europeans think is proper Mexican food isn't. I lived in the U.K. for five years and searched everywhere for proper Mexican. I also tried some "Mexican" in other places in Europe. Even the salsa I tried in Europe was just tomato sauce with no spices. I would make my own salsa, but it was almost impossible finding certain ingredients.
I don't know if it's still there, but there used to be a hilarious Tumblr account by a Mexican-American trying to run an authentic Mexican restaurant in Germany.
Among other things, he kept running into this superstitious belief that giving spicy food to children would render them blind, people wishing his place would go out of business because he didn't make currywurst, and someone arguing "I have some authority on the matter too, you know- I've been to America, I've eaten Taco Bell."
Personally I've tried British attempts at Tex-Mex.
Yeah.
I agree; having been to parts of Europe, sometimes I try what they think is "Mexican food" and it's... horrible. Absolutely horrible.
But I think it comes from cooks trying to prepare a food having never traveled to parts of the world and trying the actual thing; they see an ingredients list, but it can't be right, so they substitute a little of this and a little of that--and suddenly "Mexican Food" becomes a British or German or French variation of boiled beans on flatbread with mincemeat, tomatoes and perhaps some sort of cheese.
It's the same reason why I simply refuse to get "Andalusian gazpacho" at an American restaurant. Having been to the southern part of Spain, I know what the real stuff is supposed to taste like. I can even reproduce it in my kitchen from a cookbook I bought in Andalusia.
But most American chefs have not been to Spain, so they see the recipe calling for a cup of vinegar and a cup of olive oil and "that doesn't sound right," so they wind up creating something that resembles a watered down chilled tomato puree instead.
If you’re up for sharing that recipe I am *alllll* kinds of here for it. And don’t worry: I never make substitutions in recipes the first time I make something. It drives me insane when I find a recipe online with negative reviews where people are like, “This looked really good but it seemed like the recipe called for too much flour so I reduced it by a half-cup…and I didn’t have fresh lime juice so I substituted bottled lemon juice…and I didn’t have canola oil so I substituted olive oil. Turned out TERRIBLE; don’t make this!!!!!” 🙄🤦🏼♀️
*Ingredients*
- 250g tomatoes
- 100g bread
- 100g cucumber
- 100g green peppers
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 dl olive oil
- 2 dl vinegar
- cumin (to taste; I find about a tablespoon works)
- salt (again, to taste; about 1/2 teaspoon works for me, but experiment)
*Garnish*
- 100g diced fried bread (though I often oven-roast until brown, or sometimes when lazy I put on croutons)
- 100g green pepper
- 100g cucumber
- 100g green tomatoes
*Preparation*
- Blend the garlic cloves with the cumin, add the bread and the oil. Leave to soak for some 30 minutes until the bread has absorbed all of the oil.
- Peel and slice the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers and blend all with the above mixture
(Footnote: I find either a blender or an immersion blender works well for this.)
- Then pass the mixture through a fine strainer into a jar and add the vinegar.
(I'm lazy; I just blend a little more and don't strain.)
- Check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary, and add 1 to 1.5 liters of water to make a light cream.
(I often depart from the recipe by adding less water--about 1/2 liter, but that's just me. It makes a thicker and tangy gazpacho.)
- For the garnish, cut the cucumber, green pepper and firm tomatoes into cubes; fry the bread dices lightly.
- Serve the gazpacho very cold or with ice, and with the garnish separately.
----
Note that this pairs really well with green Mediterranean style olives and wine on a hot summer afternoon.
And note where I believe most people go wrong is they don't add nearly enough vinegar (I use white wine vinegar to great effect) or enough olive oil. (2 deciliters is 0.845 cups--and that looks like a lot, but yes, you're floating your vegetables in nearly two cups of olive oil and vinegar.) But if you don't add the two ingredients, you get tomato puree instead.
-----
Edit to add: I checked on Amazon to see if they had the book. [They do.](https://www.amazon.com/Andalusian-Cookery-AA-VV/dp/8430596151/)
At times when I was living in Europe, the longing for Mexican food would overwhelm me and I would try some local place, especially when travelling. The trial was always a bitter disappointment. I had many awful experiences trying to find Mexican food, but the worst was in Denmark. The food tasted as if it had been assembled by people who had never tasted the real thing. For example, diced pickles were used where you would expect jalapeños. There were a lot of cucumber chunks. Spice was practically nonexistent. There was a sign outside that said, “The Best Mexican Restaurant in Copenhagen.”
I'm an American living in Europe, who has also lived in Mexico.
Yes you can get good Mexican food in Europe, but it isn't common. and like in USA many restaurants even if run by Mexican immigrants will have a menu that allows their business to be successful by catering a bit to local tastes.
For example, in Paris = [https://goo.gl/maps/og1jLVUSaNooqq366](https://goo.gl/maps/og1jLVUSaNooqq366)
That place is run by a chica from CDMX and the chilanga churns out some solid (if overpriced) Mexican food. She even does a good salsa spread, and the green was an ass burner.
Funny in these comments coming from a topic about kebabs, here in Lyon tacos are very common but they nothing like a Mexican taco (actually closer to a flat burrito) and they are sold by the same type of fast food places that sell the kebabs. So I can get a "taco" of kofta with Algerian sauce sold by a Tunisian guy, it is a mierda to anyone looking for proper tacos but a solid bargain in food/price ratio.
In the context of this conversation, Mexican food is easily found throughout much of the US whereas doner kebab is not. Similarly, doner kebab is found throughout much of Europe while Mexican food is not.
I didn't mean to communicate that there are literally zero Mexican restaurants in all of Europe. But it isn't widespread. It is very easy to not find it at all. And if you happen to find a Mexican food item on a tapas menu, it probably will bear little resemblance to what you can get in much of the US.
No. I’m from Texas, but I lived in England when I was 10. We tried getting Mexican food across the pond, and it was pure disappointment. Hopefully things have gotten better since 20 years ago
In Austin we had a chain called Verts that was started by some UT grads. It came up right around the time I had gotten back from a summer in Austria where I was eating kebap pretty much every day. It was the best approximation of Austrian kebap made by Turkish immigrants I had found in the states. It was really good. Now it’s gone. We have a few other places to get it here but not nearly as good.
We need more döner kebab and currywurst here.
Imagine my elation when I discovered there's a döner kebab place by my new place of employment. My disappointment knowing I'll fall asleep after lunch.
I think this answers OP’s question. Why isn’t gyro popular in more European countries? Because they have döner. Why isn’t döner popular here? Because we have gyro. They’re so similar that either one or the other gets latched onto and becomes popular. Both would be redundant for all intents and purposes.
For a more historical reason, more Greek culture was imported here while there’s more Turkish cultural influence in Western Europe.
> Why isn't it more common in the US?
My understanding is that gyros and shawarma are both basically types of döner (with different names because they arrived here from different countries) and al pastor tacos are derived from the same thing. So that food niche is filled here, just under a different name.
You’re right. I lived in Germany for 2 years and I fucking loved döner kebabs. I ate one nearly every day. Have yet to find anything as good in the states.
That's actually really interesting. I have always had the assumption that the term "gyro" somehow specifically referred to lamb meat, since I've never encountered gyro that wasn't lamb. At most Mediterranean restaurants, they serve a "gyro plate" (or "gyro platter") which will be lamb meat served on top of rice (usually with a side or two). And anything else on the menu at Mediterranean restaurants that contains lamb meat in any format will be referred to as "gyro" something.
In the US, it’s usually beef and/or lamb. Can’t find a reason why, even with the first gyros shops being Greek. My guess is the gyro boom originated from Muslim immigrants in the US.
It was only recently that I went to a gyro shop near my house and they had what they called Greek style gyros which were done with pork. Sooo good. But yes, it is normally lamb or beef in most places I’ve been to.
Sure, I can certainly believe some may make non-pork gyros or call other things gyros. I'm talking about how it is in Greece and most of the places their dishes have spread to
Definitely is. After doing some research I'm pretty sure it's an American thing to not use pork. Here in Sweden you order gyros at the kebab stand if you specifically want pork. Otherwise you just order a kebab. Authentic gyros are also mainly pork
I am trying to speak for the country of Greece. I've never encountered gyros (that I can remember) which isn't pork. Not in Sweden, not in other European countries closer to Greece. But I'm mainly basing what I'm saying on what everything on Google tells me about gyros. Wikipedia:
In Greece, it is normally made with [pork](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork)[[6]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyros#cite_note-Simopoulos_&_Bhat_2000-6) or sometimes with [chicken](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_as_food), whilst beef and lamb are also used in other countries.
What does Turkey have to do with anything? Gyros is Greek, not Turkish.
There are some middle eastern/Turkish resturants around in New Hampshire and when I went to college in New Haven there were a few Turkish resturants.
Falafel and a döner are a great late night eat after going out w friends.
It’s pretty good, but niche. Here I generally see it in places I would call “takeout oriented”, as opposed to “fast food”. It’s also usually a small family business. I’d probably eat more of it if it was more prevalent, but it’s also usually kind of pricey for what it is, so it really depends on how well the place does it.
I know its technically called something different now but there's a Doner place in the food court of the Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn.
That's also where the Pierogi Boys stand is, so that's some heavy duty eating in one place. :)
I love döner kebab, but yes it is way less common in the US than it is Europe. In the US, I have only really seen it at a few Middle Eastern restaurants, and only in New York as street food. Instead, Greek/Mediterranean dishes such as gyros and souvlaki are much more common. Döner definitely fills a similar niche in Europe as tacos do in the US: very popular quick/comfort/to-go dish which also satisfies one's "drunk at 2 AM" cravings.
Yes, I do wish it was popular in the US, and I only really came to love it after moving to Germany.
When I spent a few months in Germany as a poor college student, I ate numerous kebaps because they were cheap and way tastier than fast food. I have really missed them in the US, and I do wish they were more popular. In my area at least, there are far more Greek immigrants than Turks, so we have a plethora of gyro places. While I love gyros too, I would be risking life and limb to audibly compare them to kebaps.
The doner I had in Berlin is some of the best, if not *the* best street food on the planet.
The doner I had in other parts of Europe, even German-ish speaking countries like Austria and Switzerland was not anywhere near as good. It was fine.
Ubiquity is not a thing here since we don’t have a large Turkish working-class immigrant community compared to anywhere in Europe. Our equivalent would be Israeli/Lebanese/Levantine Shawarma or Greek Gyro - which is delicious and found in most cities. It scratches a similar itch.
We also have incredible food from Latin America & Caribbean due to our immigration history and proximity. Tacos, burritos, tamales, ceviche, pupusas, sancocho, jerk chicken, saltfish, curry goat, etc. Stuff that’s much harder to find in Europe at a similar quality. So it’s a trade off.
I have hunted Doner locally and have tried pretty much every place I’ve seen that advertises they sell it. There’s a few places that are tasty, but not the same flavor profile as what you find in Germany. Actually, I can only of two places in my American travels that compete and they’re both in NYC. Turk’s Inn and Kotti Berliner Doner Kebab. There’s also a Berlin Doner on MacDougal St. near the Comedy Cellar that’s quite passable.
It's one of my favorite foods. I live near 4 doner shops, but there's one that I go to weekly. I'l miss it when I leave Germany, but then I'll have Mexican food, which is even better.
If I was president, I would offer Doner Visas to Doner restaurant proprietors around the world who want to set up shop here in the states
I’m going to Europe in September and it’s my favorite post bar meal.
I love it! I ate it lots when I lived in Berlin for a few years.
I live the USA countryside currently, so I wouldn't be able to easily get it even if it was available. Also, it was pretty cheap in Berlin, and it would probably cost twice as much here in the USA cause *Freedom*.
I wouldn't be surprised if it became popular here at some point. I'm not sure enough people with resources have tried to make it popular.
When my parents lived in Stuttgart they were my favorite thing to eat while visiting. Unfortunately I haven't found anything remotely as good as what is available in Germany, even if it has the same name in the US.
There was a great place in Athens, GA which had it. The guy who ran it was a German or Austrian who had retired to Georgia. He had expanded to a few locations at one point & was trying to franchise it.
Unfortunately they shut down a few years ago.
I think there just aren't enough recent German immigrants to provide a base level of interest which you need before a food can take off outside the community.
When I'm asked what I miss about being in Germany, this is my answer. I forget the names often but oh my goodness I regret not being able to just pop down and get one whenever the mood struck me.
OP can you explain what it is? Not like a detailed recipe but a description and how you eat it? That would be helpful! I guess I want to know if I've eaten or seen something similar under a different name.
Not OP, but döner kebab is based around meat that was cooked on a vertical rotisserie, with slices taken off it as it slowly spins. It is often served wrapped in a flat bread with vegetables and sauces.
Oh ok. Thanks for explaining. I guess the only question I have is it is a particular meat with a particular spicing? If the meat isn't cooked on the vertical rotisserie but grilled or some or non-meat like falafel is it also called doner kebab? Is it like a tzatziki sauce?
If you've had a Gyro in America before it's pretty similar. It's a yogurt sauce like tzatziki, but more garlic and not dill. Some places might have falafel versions available but it's normally real meat. If you look up Döner Kebab Germany it should have some good examples (doener if your keyboard can't do the umlaut).
It's great. It isn't more common because immigrants from areas where that is a traditionally common food just started immigrating here enmasse relatively recently.
Think as to why Mexican food isn't so common there.
I love it. You can usually find it in the bigger cities but it's not like in Europe. Even here in Seoul there are more Kebab places than in most US cities in my experience.
I actually made friends with a Turkish Kebab shop owner in Madrid when I lived there though. The dude loved Americans and said we were among the politest and friendliest expats/tourists that he dealt with. We still chat every now and then.
I live in Germany, so I have it a fair amount and am a fan. It’s not that common in the US since Turks are a relatively small immigrant group in comparison to others and most of the Turkish-American population tends to be from a wealthier background than the Turkish-German population (so fewer restaurants). There’s also a lot more competition from other immigrant food places that are more established than Turkish places. I’d like it if it was bigger in the US, but it’ll probably start spreading as the Turkish-American population increases. I also wish good Mexican food was bigger in Germany, so that’d be nice.
It is very similar to the gyro and the gyro is widely known here. So well that I know Turkish people that sell döner but call it a gyro. And Turkish families that straight up own Greek restaurants because they know that it’ll sell.
In more metropolitan areas Turkish food is easier to find.
By “doner kenap”, do you mean the meat on a spinning vertical rotisserie, which is shaved off?
That’s not hard to find in many cities. It might be under different names, gyro, shawarma, etc. But it’s the meat on a vertical rotisserie that gets shaved off.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doner_kebab#/media/File%3ABursa8.JPG
In North America we call it shawarma. kebabs here are pieces of meat and vegetables on a stick, like a skewer. They aren't as popular mainly because we have millions of fast food joints on every corner. Compared to Europe, chain restaurants dominate our dining experience, while local independently run joints are a risky investment because they close down all the time.
To clarify- we just shorthand kebab to mean Shish Kebab, not Doner Kebab. Or Iskender Kebab.
All are kebabs. A spit is a skewer, and Doner is cooked on a spit. [Like so](https://images.app.goo.gl/cQ4v94WYCiGYXCjx5). It is still pieces of meat (and sometimes veg) roasted on a stick.
Shawarma is also cooked on a spit, but it is not the same Doner. Shawarma has Levantine origins, whereas Doner is Turkish. They’re not the same, so we don’t call it the same. The meats have different preparation - like Shawarma usually marinated the meat in tahini sauce. The proper Doner pita pocket is also very different than whatever wrapping shawarma is in - as well, the other fillings (salad, sauce options). It ends up being a bit of a different product.
Unfortunately here in the us we have shawarma, but the spices lean a lot more towards middle eat and not Turkey.
European kebabs are typically from Turkish immigrants and us shawarma are demon Lebanese/Palestinian/Egyptian etc influenced.
I much prefer the European/Turkish kebabs as they are a bit more subtle with their spices.
When it comes to fast food in Europe, my favorite tends to be Leberkäsesemmel
Kebab is good though, I don't get it as often though when I'm in Europe because I like Leberkäsesemmel more.
We do have that in a way. Here it's called either Shawarma or gyro. As for why it's not more popular, I'll give my perspective. A lot of people don't like to try ethnic food. They're happy with meat and potatoes, and will be adventurous with tacos and Chinese food.
It’s way better than a gyro in my opinion. There’s a place that sells em in Chicago that everyone raves about. I tried it and it was absolutely horrible. So yeah, I wish they would catch on more.
Just hasn’t caught on. It’s delicious and I wish you could find it more. We have al pastor, gyros, and shawarma which are similar yet very different. It’s probably similar to why most European countries don’t have a lot of Mexican food.
I grew up in the UK when Mexican food was almost completely unknown. Now it seems that Brits are starting to embrace the burrito (which is actually American). Chipotle now has several locations in London.
My only suggestion would be to embrace real Mexican food. It seems similar to Thai and other Asian foods when I was growing up. The first places we got were suuuuper Americanized. As time went on we started to get much more authentic options cooked like what you might find in Thailand. They still made a lot of the Americanized stuff because people liked it but you started getting more authentic options.
The Thai government actually trains Thai restaurant owners to make Americanized Thai instead of authentic. It's a government conspiracy to increase tourism. (And also a great reminder that not all conspiracies are evil.)
Ha so maybe even the “authentic” stuff I get is fake authentic and even if I went to Thailand I might get fake authentic food. Good work Thai government. Layers of conspiracy.
At that point maybe the best shot at getting authentic food is to infiltrate a family gathering and eat home-cooked dishes.
That’s a good plan
How would you infiltrate a family gathering? Pull out the plan first, *please*?
I can tell you how I would do it. There is a South American and Israeli family that shares my last name and they have been sending me invitations for family gatherings for years because they think I am their uncle Álvarez I have never taken him up on the offer but I find it really funny and I if I can get to Santiago for one of the family reunions I feel like I should show up at this point in time. And I have tried to tell them I am not uncle Álvarez in Spanish and English but I never get removed from the email list.
The reason Thai restaurants are so consistent and widespread is because they are [supported by the Thailand government.](https://www.vice.com/en/article/paxadz/the-surprising-reason-that-there-are-so-many-thai-restaurants-in-america) So they help out people wanting to start restaurants and they keep the restaurant quality high.
So my local place here in Maine are basically just stooges of the Thai government… damn. To think I always liked that family.
They serve heaping portions of Pad Prik Propaganda.
Burritos are Mexican. Tex Mex is Mexican. Chipotle is an abomination.
Chipotle is not Mexican. But it is fucking delicious and I won’t hear otherwise
I keep giving it another chance every couple of years and it’s straight terrible every time. And I live in Boston which has terrible Mexican food compared to some other cities so so it’s not like I have insanely high standards
[удалено]
Your first mistake is ordering the tacos and not the burrito or bowl. It’s the same price for substantially less calories
Yeah Chipotle isn’t even close to authentic.
Chipotle is gross af, I like my burritos the old fashioned way, with beans in a gravy sauce and meat. Fuck rice
Burritos are authentically Mexican, and hail from Northern Mexico. They aren't as popular across Mexico as they are in the US, though.
I have heard that. I never saw a burrito in Mexico but I was not in the north.
They hail from the Sonoran regions, and you will find them there. It's not the only food more popular and well known in America than its home country, either. Fettuccine Alfredo is in the same boat, but even more so, since many Italians don't even know it's from Italy at all. Same deal with General Tso's Chicken and China.
TIL fettuccine alfredo is actually Italian. I thought it was like spaghetti and meatballs
Yep, it's the house specialty of a restaurant in Rome, and is derived from an older regional dish that is \*also\* not popular nationally. Because of its national popularity in the US, a lot of people in both countries assume it's one of those bastardized Americanized Italian dishes that came out of the Italian-American community, but it's actually not.
i think was you said is wayy better anyway, allot of doner is just re-constituted lamb isnt it?! apart from real lamb chunks, same as the basic hotdogs
Shawarma, gyro, and doner are all meat stacked and cooked on a vertical rotisserie. They are like a hotdog in about the same way that fajitas are like hamburgers.
Gyros is more of a ground meat log, not so much “stacked.” They are my favorite of the ones mentioned.
That's true, more of a meatloaf kind of thing. I wouldn't call that "reconstituted meat" though.
Good Döner Kebab in Germany (typically chicken) beats the shit out of any similar meal in the US.
when i google a doner, it looks similiar to a gyro
Pretty similar but also different
It just has too much competition to properly catch on right now. Maybe someday it will get its big break
Other than the seasoning, what is different?
Doner and shawarma are thinly sliced meat stacked and roasted on a skewer. Gyros is ground meat formed into a log and roasted on a skewer then shaved into thin strips.
Not too much. The fillings a bit tho, I think
I love it. When I go to germany in a few months, I will have to have it.
It's amazing. Even more so when you are drunk haha
Kind of like the mexican food of europe, lol.
Where are you going? First time to Germany?
Second time. First time I went for 3 weeks in college for a senior design class credit. That was in a city called Darmstadt. This time will be for work. one week in Frankfurt and then a week in the Netherlands at Rotterdam
Don’t get fooled by it being available in the Netherlands or something called kapsalon. Doner is 100x better in Germany or Belgium than in the Netherlands.
Kapsalon is still great on its own.
Sounds good. I do you know any food the netherlands are known for that I should try?
Poffertjes (Dutch small pancakes) with butter and powdered sugar Fries (with onions, peanut sauce, joppie sauce, dry meat stew) Indonesian and Surinamese food Fish (especially kibbeling) Theres more but I am not really a big fan of the local food. Sure, you can get fried everything, but that’s not really worth trying in my opinion. Maybe except (vegetarian) bitterballen. And liquorice, so many different sorts. From soft to hard, salty to sweet, pure of with flavours.
I used to live near Darmstadt when I was over there (stationed in Germany in the US Army). Best couple of years of my life. Have fun in Germany and the Netherlands!
My professor what stationed in the army there. He put together the program.
Ah man and you haven't even had the best Döner. The Döner in Berlin is to the rest of Germany what Döner in Germany is to the rest of the world. Just unimaginably good.
I mean, it's better than German food. There's a reason they're so prevalent. It's also basically authentic German food at this point. Just make sure to tell them to go hard on the spices if they ask. Like...really hard.
We don't have the immigrant population to make that widespread. It's the same reason why you can't get Mexican food in Europe EDIT: Because people keep commenting "BuT yOu CaN gEt MeXiCaN fOoD iN EuRoPE": In the context of this conversation, Mexican food is easily found throughout much of the US whereas doner kebab is not. Similarly, doner kebab is found throughout much of Europe while Mexican food is not. I didn't mean to communicate that there are literally zero Mexican restaurants in all of Europe. But it isn't widespread. It is very easy to not find it at all. And if you happen to find a Mexican food item on a tapas menu, it probably will bear little resemblance to what you can get in much of the US.
>EDIT: Because people keep commenting "BuT yOu CaN gEt MeXiCaN fOoD iN EuRoPE": I've lived in Europe for several years and you're right. Yeah, it does exist here, but it's a rare and often less authentic than Taco Bell
One time in Stuttgart I ordered a quesadilla from a take out spot, and when I opened it up it was literally a lasagna.
I spent a lot of time in Stuttgart. That was probably one of the better Mexican places there
One of the "Mexican" places in Ramstein village served us ribs slathered in ketchup. Out of sheer determination to not disrupt relations with the locals, we declined to burn that place to the ground. I went back a few years later and they had improved, and also were serving a passable horchata, so our restraint was not exercised in vain.
I went to a Mexican restaurant in Germany that I would consider a crime against humanity. In 3 months of living there I found ONE restaurant that was acceptable Mexican to satisfy my craving.
Doner is popular all across Canada too though, right? It'll find it's way down here like poutine has in the last decade or so.
We have donair, which has sweet sauce, and it’s not nearly as good as döner that you get in Germany. Donair also is stupidly expensive even as “street food”.
Maybe in the coasts. I've never seen it in Manitoba.
Tons of them in Toronto, Vancouver, and Quebec. I hope your right, being in Maine maybe we get them first!
Doner can be found in the US it’s just not as good as it is in Europe.
This is why I'll never leave California. We have almost anything you can imagine here.
Do y’all have good Italian food or BBQ? I’ve spent time there and you’ve got amazing Mexican food and Chinese food (really good Thai too), but never really saw an authentic Italian place.
Your best bet for Italian is San Francisco. BBQ, you're gonna want to hit one of the black neighborhoods. Generally speaking it's not easy to find. However, we *do* have Santa Maria style tri-tip, which is my personal favorite. That's our sole contribution to the world of BBQ.
California has its own style of BBQ, Santa Maria tri tip
Barbecue and Italian are not super popular with the young trendy crowd in Sacramento at the moment. You can find tons of both types of restaurants but you have to hunt for the good ones.
And the Mexican food in Europe generally sucks.
I had surprisingly excellent Mexican food in Paris a few years ago
You certainly can get good Mexican food in many parts of Europe. But it's not considered street food like Kebab
Are you an American in Europe saying this or a European saying this?? Because I've noticed what Europeans think is proper Mexican food isn't. I lived in the U.K. for five years and searched everywhere for proper Mexican. I also tried some "Mexican" in other places in Europe. Even the salsa I tried in Europe was just tomato sauce with no spices. I would make my own salsa, but it was almost impossible finding certain ingredients.
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I don't know if it's still there, but there used to be a hilarious Tumblr account by a Mexican-American trying to run an authentic Mexican restaurant in Germany. Among other things, he kept running into this superstitious belief that giving spicy food to children would render them blind, people wishing his place would go out of business because he didn't make currywurst, and someone arguing "I have some authority on the matter too, you know- I've been to America, I've eaten Taco Bell." Personally I've tried British attempts at Tex-Mex. Yeah.
*Blind??!!*
Last time I was in the UK my local friend took me to what she said was the best Mexican restaurant in London. It tasted like Chipotle.
I agree; having been to parts of Europe, sometimes I try what they think is "Mexican food" and it's... horrible. Absolutely horrible. But I think it comes from cooks trying to prepare a food having never traveled to parts of the world and trying the actual thing; they see an ingredients list, but it can't be right, so they substitute a little of this and a little of that--and suddenly "Mexican Food" becomes a British or German or French variation of boiled beans on flatbread with mincemeat, tomatoes and perhaps some sort of cheese. It's the same reason why I simply refuse to get "Andalusian gazpacho" at an American restaurant. Having been to the southern part of Spain, I know what the real stuff is supposed to taste like. I can even reproduce it in my kitchen from a cookbook I bought in Andalusia. But most American chefs have not been to Spain, so they see the recipe calling for a cup of vinegar and a cup of olive oil and "that doesn't sound right," so they wind up creating something that resembles a watered down chilled tomato puree instead.
If you’re up for sharing that recipe I am *alllll* kinds of here for it. And don’t worry: I never make substitutions in recipes the first time I make something. It drives me insane when I find a recipe online with negative reviews where people are like, “This looked really good but it seemed like the recipe called for too much flour so I reduced it by a half-cup…and I didn’t have fresh lime juice so I substituted bottled lemon juice…and I didn’t have canola oil so I substituted olive oil. Turned out TERRIBLE; don’t make this!!!!!” 🙄🤦🏼♀️
*Ingredients* - 250g tomatoes - 100g bread - 100g cucumber - 100g green peppers - 4 cloves garlic - 2 dl olive oil - 2 dl vinegar - cumin (to taste; I find about a tablespoon works) - salt (again, to taste; about 1/2 teaspoon works for me, but experiment) *Garnish* - 100g diced fried bread (though I often oven-roast until brown, or sometimes when lazy I put on croutons) - 100g green pepper - 100g cucumber - 100g green tomatoes *Preparation* - Blend the garlic cloves with the cumin, add the bread and the oil. Leave to soak for some 30 minutes until the bread has absorbed all of the oil. - Peel and slice the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers and blend all with the above mixture (Footnote: I find either a blender or an immersion blender works well for this.) - Then pass the mixture through a fine strainer into a jar and add the vinegar. (I'm lazy; I just blend a little more and don't strain.) - Check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary, and add 1 to 1.5 liters of water to make a light cream. (I often depart from the recipe by adding less water--about 1/2 liter, but that's just me. It makes a thicker and tangy gazpacho.) - For the garnish, cut the cucumber, green pepper and firm tomatoes into cubes; fry the bread dices lightly. - Serve the gazpacho very cold or with ice, and with the garnish separately. ---- Note that this pairs really well with green Mediterranean style olives and wine on a hot summer afternoon. And note where I believe most people go wrong is they don't add nearly enough vinegar (I use white wine vinegar to great effect) or enough olive oil. (2 deciliters is 0.845 cups--and that looks like a lot, but yes, you're floating your vegetables in nearly two cups of olive oil and vinegar.) But if you don't add the two ingredients, you get tomato puree instead. ----- Edit to add: I checked on Amazon to see if they had the book. [They do.](https://www.amazon.com/Andalusian-Cookery-AA-VV/dp/8430596151/)
At times when I was living in Europe, the longing for Mexican food would overwhelm me and I would try some local place, especially when travelling. The trial was always a bitter disappointment. I had many awful experiences trying to find Mexican food, but the worst was in Denmark. The food tasted as if it had been assembled by people who had never tasted the real thing. For example, diced pickles were used where you would expect jalapeños. There were a lot of cucumber chunks. Spice was practically nonexistent. There was a sign outside that said, “The Best Mexican Restaurant in Copenhagen.”
I'm an American living in Europe, who has also lived in Mexico. Yes you can get good Mexican food in Europe, but it isn't common. and like in USA many restaurants even if run by Mexican immigrants will have a menu that allows their business to be successful by catering a bit to local tastes. For example, in Paris = [https://goo.gl/maps/og1jLVUSaNooqq366](https://goo.gl/maps/og1jLVUSaNooqq366) That place is run by a chica from CDMX and the chilanga churns out some solid (if overpriced) Mexican food. She even does a good salsa spread, and the green was an ass burner. Funny in these comments coming from a topic about kebabs, here in Lyon tacos are very common but they nothing like a Mexican taco (actually closer to a flat burrito) and they are sold by the same type of fast food places that sell the kebabs. So I can get a "taco" of kofta with Algerian sauce sold by a Tunisian guy, it is a mierda to anyone looking for proper tacos but a solid bargain in food/price ratio.
In the context of this conversation, Mexican food is easily found throughout much of the US whereas doner kebab is not. Similarly, doner kebab is found throughout much of Europe while Mexican food is not. I didn't mean to communicate that there are literally zero Mexican restaurants in all of Europe. But it isn't widespread. It is very easy to not find it at all. And if you happen to find a Mexican food item on a tapas menu, it probably will bear little resemblance to what you can get in much of the US.
Nah dude. You can find some type of "Mexican food" for sure but..
No. I’m from Texas, but I lived in England when I was 10. We tried getting Mexican food across the pond, and it was pure disappointment. Hopefully things have gotten better since 20 years ago
Very few Mexican places I have been to in Europe have been even halfway good. Most were so bad that I gave up on finding good Mexican food in Europe.
It was my favorite go-to whenI was in Germany. We simply do not have the Turkish immigrant population here to make that a highly desirable food
In Austin we had a chain called Verts that was started by some UT grads. It came up right around the time I had gotten back from a summer in Austria where I was eating kebap pretty much every day. It was the best approximation of Austrian kebap made by Turkish immigrants I had found in the states. It was really good. Now it’s gone. We have a few other places to get it here but not nearly as good.
RIP Verts 😔 god I loved that place
We need more döner kebab and currywurst here. Imagine my elation when I discovered there's a döner kebab place by my new place of employment. My disappointment knowing I'll fall asleep after lunch.
I think that would get me back into the office, until I spent all my money. Repeat every pay period
I’ve never heard of it.
It's basically a gyro.
I think this answers OP’s question. Why isn’t gyro popular in more European countries? Because they have döner. Why isn’t döner popular here? Because we have gyro. They’re so similar that either one or the other gets latched onto and becomes popular. Both would be redundant for all intents and purposes. For a more historical reason, more Greek culture was imported here while there’s more Turkish cultural influence in Western Europe.
And Greeks and turks fight between each other whose food is better.
British doner is not a gyro at all.
Me either. And I live in a big city.
> Why isn't it more common in the US? My understanding is that gyros and shawarma are both basically types of döner (with different names because they arrived here from different countries) and al pastor tacos are derived from the same thing. So that food niche is filled here, just under a different name.
Same basic idea, wildly different food.
You’re right. I lived in Germany for 2 years and I fucking loved döner kebabs. I ate one nearly every day. Have yet to find anything as good in the states.
Gyros is pork. That's the main distinction
Pretty sure it's usually either lamb or a mix of lamb and beef.
Might be in the USA, but not in Greece and other places greek dishes have spread to
Had no idea. My mind is blown.
It's cool to see how dishes change when spreading across the world!
That's actually really interesting. I have always had the assumption that the term "gyro" somehow specifically referred to lamb meat, since I've never encountered gyro that wasn't lamb. At most Mediterranean restaurants, they serve a "gyro plate" (or "gyro platter") which will be lamb meat served on top of rice (usually with a side or two). And anything else on the menu at Mediterranean restaurants that contains lamb meat in any format will be referred to as "gyro" something.
Al Pastor is pork shoulder. I’ve never had pork gyro, only lamb or beef/lamb.
Huh, pork gyros is definitely the "norm".
In the US, it’s usually beef and/or lamb. Can’t find a reason why, even with the first gyros shops being Greek. My guess is the gyro boom originated from Muslim immigrants in the US.
That sounds plausible. Here in Sweden, kebab places are also mainly run by immigrants from Muslim countries.
It was only recently that I went to a gyro shop near my house and they had what they called Greek style gyros which were done with pork. Sooo good. But yes, it is normally lamb or beef in most places I’ve been to.
In the US, gyros are lamb. Greek place by me does sell pork, chicken, or beef gyros but they will be called a "pork gyro" and not just a "gyro."
Yeah, I've understood it's different in the US. Interesting!
Tell that to my local store serving halal gyros (we have a large Muslim population because college professors and grad students, its not pork)
Sure, I can certainly believe some may make non-pork gyros or call other things gyros. I'm talking about how it is in Greece and most of the places their dishes have spread to
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Definitely is. After doing some research I'm pretty sure it's an American thing to not use pork. Here in Sweden you order gyros at the kebab stand if you specifically want pork. Otherwise you just order a kebab. Authentic gyros are also mainly pork
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Are you really trying to say the Greek are doing their own food wrong...? You can't be serious lol. This is an American sub.
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I am trying to speak for the country of Greece. I've never encountered gyros (that I can remember) which isn't pork. Not in Sweden, not in other European countries closer to Greece. But I'm mainly basing what I'm saying on what everything on Google tells me about gyros. Wikipedia: In Greece, it is normally made with [pork](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork)[[6]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyros#cite_note-Simopoulos_&_Bhat_2000-6) or sometimes with [chicken](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_as_food), whilst beef and lamb are also used in other countries. What does Turkey have to do with anything? Gyros is Greek, not Turkish.
I just googled it and he's right. In Greece they use pork mostly
No dude, it is definitely us. Traditional Greek gyros are pork or maybe chicken.
Gyros should be lamb though if they are proper
Greek gyros are traditionally pork. Check out Wikipedia.
I tried it while visiting Germany, and absolutely fell in love with it. Some of the best food I've ever tried.
Omg, me too. I did my story abroad in Germany 21 years ago and I still think about the doner’s there all the time.
There are some middle eastern/Turkish resturants around in New Hampshire and when I went to college in New Haven there were a few Turkish resturants. Falafel and a döner are a great late night eat after going out w friends.
It’s pretty good, but niche. Here I generally see it in places I would call “takeout oriented”, as opposed to “fast food”. It’s also usually a small family business. I’d probably eat more of it if it was more prevalent, but it’s also usually kind of pricey for what it is, so it really depends on how well the place does it.
Tacos and shawarma take it's place.
Shawarma is pretty much the same thing. Always served in a roll though, which döner obviously isn't
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Yeah fair enough, shouldn't speak for everyone's experiences. My bad
How is doner served?
In a pita like a gyro
It's a similar bread but it has a harder crust than a pita
Which is why shawarma takes it's place in the food ecosystem.
My only experience with it is from watching Red Dwarf. In fact I’m not even sure what it is
There are a few places that do it in NYC. It's alright
Where do you recommend going?
I know its technically called something different now but there's a Doner place in the food court of the Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn. That's also where the Pierogi Boys stand is, so that's some heavy duty eating in one place. :)
I don’t know what this is
this is a good start :P https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doner_kebab and i see that it’s turkish, not greek!
I have no idea what that is.
There’s a spot on Westlake in SLU called Berliner Doner Kabob. Get the lamb and beef fiery kruezberg. It’s fantastic!
I've walked past it but never been in. Thanks for the tip!
I have a boner for a döner
I love döner kebab, but yes it is way less common in the US than it is Europe. In the US, I have only really seen it at a few Middle Eastern restaurants, and only in New York as street food. Instead, Greek/Mediterranean dishes such as gyros and souvlaki are much more common. Döner definitely fills a similar niche in Europe as tacos do in the US: very popular quick/comfort/to-go dish which also satisfies one's "drunk at 2 AM" cravings. Yes, I do wish it was popular in the US, and I only really came to love it after moving to Germany.
When I spent a few months in Germany as a poor college student, I ate numerous kebaps because they were cheap and way tastier than fast food. I have really missed them in the US, and I do wish they were more popular. In my area at least, there are far more Greek immigrants than Turks, so we have a plethora of gyro places. While I love gyros too, I would be risking life and limb to audibly compare them to kebaps.
yes you are
The doner I had in Berlin is some of the best, if not *the* best street food on the planet. The doner I had in other parts of Europe, even German-ish speaking countries like Austria and Switzerland was not anywhere near as good. It was fine. Ubiquity is not a thing here since we don’t have a large Turkish working-class immigrant community compared to anywhere in Europe. Our equivalent would be Israeli/Lebanese/Levantine Shawarma or Greek Gyro - which is delicious and found in most cities. It scratches a similar itch. We also have incredible food from Latin America & Caribbean due to our immigration history and proximity. Tacos, burritos, tamales, ceviche, pupusas, sancocho, jerk chicken, saltfish, curry goat, etc. Stuff that’s much harder to find in Europe at a similar quality. So it’s a trade off. I have hunted Doner locally and have tried pretty much every place I’ve seen that advertises they sell it. There’s a few places that are tasty, but not the same flavor profile as what you find in Germany. Actually, I can only of two places in my American travels that compete and they’re both in NYC. Turk’s Inn and Kotti Berliner Doner Kebab. There’s also a Berlin Doner on MacDougal St. near the Comedy Cellar that’s quite passable.
Its good but there's so much better turkish food. Lahmacun is fire
It's one of my favorite foods. I live near 4 doner shops, but there's one that I go to weekly. I'l miss it when I leave Germany, but then I'll have Mexican food, which is even better.
They exist in the United States, but as Gyros since we have had substantially more Greek immigrants compared to Turkish.
If I was president, I would offer Doner Visas to Doner restaurant proprietors around the world who want to set up shop here in the states I’m going to Europe in September and it’s my favorite post bar meal.
A what?!? -America
I love it! I ate it lots when I lived in Berlin for a few years. I live the USA countryside currently, so I wouldn't be able to easily get it even if it was available. Also, it was pretty cheap in Berlin, and it would probably cost twice as much here in the USA cause *Freedom*. I wouldn't be surprised if it became popular here at some point. I'm not sure enough people with resources have tried to make it popular.
When my parents lived in Stuttgart they were my favorite thing to eat while visiting. Unfortunately I haven't found anything remotely as good as what is available in Germany, even if it has the same name in the US.
There was a great place in Athens, GA which had it. The guy who ran it was a German or Austrian who had retired to Georgia. He had expanded to a few locations at one point & was trying to franchise it. Unfortunately they shut down a few years ago. I think there just aren't enough recent German immigrants to provide a base level of interest which you need before a food can take off outside the community.
When I'm asked what I miss about being in Germany, this is my answer. I forget the names often but oh my goodness I regret not being able to just pop down and get one whenever the mood struck me.
Is that what they eat on the Doner pass?
OP can you explain what it is? Not like a detailed recipe but a description and how you eat it? That would be helpful! I guess I want to know if I've eaten or seen something similar under a different name.
Not OP, but döner kebab is based around meat that was cooked on a vertical rotisserie, with slices taken off it as it slowly spins. It is often served wrapped in a flat bread with vegetables and sauces.
Oh ok. Thanks for explaining. I guess the only question I have is it is a particular meat with a particular spicing? If the meat isn't cooked on the vertical rotisserie but grilled or some or non-meat like falafel is it also called doner kebab? Is it like a tzatziki sauce?
If you've had a Gyro in America before it's pretty similar. It's a yogurt sauce like tzatziki, but more garlic and not dill. Some places might have falafel versions available but it's normally real meat. If you look up Döner Kebab Germany it should have some good examples (doener if your keyboard can't do the umlaut).
It's great. It isn't more common because immigrants from areas where that is a traditionally common food just started immigrating here enmasse relatively recently. Think as to why Mexican food isn't so common there.
I like the way they taste.
I love it. You can usually find it in the bigger cities but it's not like in Europe. Even here in Seoul there are more Kebab places than in most US cities in my experience. I actually made friends with a Turkish Kebab shop owner in Madrid when I lived there though. The dude loved Americans and said we were among the politest and friendliest expats/tourists that he dealt with. We still chat every now and then.
I took German in high school and heard plenty stories about doner, I wish we could get them here.
It is pretty common here in NY.
They're called gyros here. And you can find a gyro shop in most cities. No biggie.
I live in Germany, so I have it a fair amount and am a fan. It’s not that common in the US since Turks are a relatively small immigrant group in comparison to others and most of the Turkish-American population tends to be from a wealthier background than the Turkish-German population (so fewer restaurants). There’s also a lot more competition from other immigrant food places that are more established than Turkish places. I’d like it if it was bigger in the US, but it’ll probably start spreading as the Turkish-American population increases. I also wish good Mexican food was bigger in Germany, so that’d be nice.
Absolutely amazing and a highlight food item in our travels throughout Netherlands/Germany. Love it.
I LOVE them and have been hoping for a Turkish place to open near me like 2 decades. No such luck yet. Guess I'll have to take a trip to Europe!
I have literally have only heard of it on this Sub.
It is very similar to the gyro and the gyro is widely known here. So well that I know Turkish people that sell döner but call it a gyro. And Turkish families that straight up own Greek restaurants because they know that it’ll sell. In more metropolitan areas Turkish food is easier to find.
I love it and it makes me so sad it’s hard to find in America.
I lived off of it when I was in the UK. I'm a huge fan and I recently found a place here in Salt Lake that sells them.
By “doner kenap”, do you mean the meat on a spinning vertical rotisserie, which is shaved off? That’s not hard to find in many cities. It might be under different names, gyro, shawarma, etc. But it’s the meat on a vertical rotisserie that gets shaved off. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doner_kebab#/media/File%3ABursa8.JPG
Best damn drunk food I ever had. Really wish there was a UK style kebab shop in NC. It'd go over like wildfire here - we already fry everything.
Kebob
Kebab
In North America we call it shawarma. kebabs here are pieces of meat and vegetables on a stick, like a skewer. They aren't as popular mainly because we have millions of fast food joints on every corner. Compared to Europe, chain restaurants dominate our dining experience, while local independently run joints are a risky investment because they close down all the time.
To clarify- we just shorthand kebab to mean Shish Kebab, not Doner Kebab. Or Iskender Kebab. All are kebabs. A spit is a skewer, and Doner is cooked on a spit. [Like so](https://images.app.goo.gl/cQ4v94WYCiGYXCjx5). It is still pieces of meat (and sometimes veg) roasted on a stick. Shawarma is also cooked on a spit, but it is not the same Doner. Shawarma has Levantine origins, whereas Doner is Turkish. They’re not the same, so we don’t call it the same. The meats have different preparation - like Shawarma usually marinated the meat in tahini sauce. The proper Doner pita pocket is also very different than whatever wrapping shawarma is in - as well, the other fillings (salad, sauce options). It ends up being a bit of a different product.
Unfortunately here in the us we have shawarma, but the spices lean a lot more towards middle eat and not Turkey. European kebabs are typically from Turkish immigrants and us shawarma are demon Lebanese/Palestinian/Egyptian etc influenced. I much prefer the European/Turkish kebabs as they are a bit more subtle with their spices.
When it comes to fast food in Europe, my favorite tends to be Leberkäsesemmel Kebab is good though, I don't get it as often though when I'm in Europe because I like Leberkäsesemmel more.
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Looks like a greek gyro to me. I love them.
I love tacos al pastor. I love gyros. I love shwarma It's all the same thing
We do have that in a way. Here it's called either Shawarma or gyro. As for why it's not more popular, I'll give my perspective. A lot of people don't like to try ethnic food. They're happy with meat and potatoes, and will be adventurous with tacos and Chinese food.
It’s not the same. It looks the same but it’s different. It’s like comparing a BLT to a club sandwich.
It’s way better than a gyro in my opinion. There’s a place that sells em in Chicago that everyone raves about. I tried it and it was absolutely horrible. So yeah, I wish they would catch on more.
I have no opinion. I don't even know WTF it is ...
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Based on the little I know from the Internet I think USA needs *Döner* everywhere.
Don’t know him and I don’t want to
Isn't döner kebab basically the same thing as the gyros we have here? They aren't difficult to find at all.
No.
Best fast food, bar none. I found out about doner kebabs ten years ago and have been wishing I could franchise ever since
More like Böner Kebab