History of the kebab
Where does kebab really come from? Greece, Turkey or... Germany? If we asked you where kebab comes from, you might say Turkey... or Greece if you're a big fan of gyros. But the funny thing is that modern kebab actually originated in Germany.
Crazy urban food
10/24/20251 min read
Its history began centuries ago in Persia and the Ottoman Empire, when “kebab” simply meant roasted meat. Later, in Turkey, the vertical version was invented: the famous döner.
The Greeks joined the party with gyros — very similar, but with a touch of oregano and Mediterranean pita bread.
And just when it seemed that nothing could be improved upon... Germany came along.
In 1972, Kadir Nurman, of Turkish origin, said:
‘What if we put the kebab in a bread roll with salad to take away?’
Boom.
Thus was born the modern kebab, an icon of street food and the saviour of hundreds of epic nights.