05.12.2024 14:54
Germany, which attempted to trademark döner, one of Turkey's legendary flavors, received a challenge from Bereket Döner with a thousand-year-old documents and a scientific article. The historical documents were sent to the European Commission.
Germany is pursuing the registration of "doner" in its name; however, it is expected that the European Commission will reject Germany's initiatives and certify that doner is a Turkish dish.
Turkey had applied to the European Union to register doner, which has been a subject of debate between the two countries, as a "Traditional Product Name" to certify it as a Turkish dish. However, Germany objected to the registration of doner as a traditional product on behalf of Turkey and brought the matter to the European Commission. The Commission, which has not yet made a decision, had invited both parties to reach a compromise.
ARTICLE PREPARED
Bereket Döner responded to Germany, which is trying to claim the world-renowned Turkish delicacy doner, with the Ottoman scholar Takiyeddin Efendi and the famous traveler Evliya Çelebi. Bereket Döner, which conducted academic research on doner during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, sent the article to the European Commission for the registration of doner as a "Traditional Product Name." The study, consisting of historical documents, engravings, photographs, and documents, also includes drawings of the mechanism for doner by Takiyeddin Efendi (1521-1585).
"IT IS AN UNDISPUTED FACT THAT DONER IS A TURKISH DELICACY"
Mevlüt Ceyhun Tekdemir, Vice Chairman of the Board of Bereket Döner, stated, "We believe that the European Commission will make the most accurate and legal decision. The validity of Turkey's claims is an undisputed fact that doner is a Turkish delicacy. When looking at the political, sociological, and cultural sources of both Europe and Turkey, there are hundreds of sources, documents, and photographs that confirm this fact."
"GERMANY SHOULD LOOK AT GOETHE UNIVERSITY"
Tekdemir remarked, "Germany does not need to go far to learn which nation and culture doner belongs to; it is enough for them to visit the Museum of the History of Islamic Sciences at the Institute of Arab-Islamic Science History affiliated with Frankfurt Goethe University." He referenced the drawings of the Ottoman astronomer and engineer Takiyeddin Efendi at Goethe University. Tekdemir stated that in the article prepared for researchers, they presented the approximately thousand-year journey of doner with scientific evidence, and said, "We will submit our work titled 'Turkey's World-Famous Delicacy: Doner' to the European Commission today."
"EUROPE WILL BE SATISFIED WITH REAL DONER"
Finally, Tekdemir expressed that doner is not a divisive value for Turkish and European communities; rather, it is a common value that brings societies together with the same flavor, and it should be preserved both in terms of taste and cultural heritage. He also mentioned that they are considering opening branches in all cities of Europe, especially Germany, with the Döner Point brand, a subsidiary of Bereket Döner, to introduce the taste of real Turkish doner to all of Europe and conquer European palates.