Forget preconceptions about spaetzle, sauerkraut or pretzel. If there were only one national dish in Germany, it would be the kebab, a true cultural phenomenon in this country where around 5% of the population is of Turkish origin. But many Germans today are worried about the price of doner, which has exploded in two years. Some of them even questioned Chancellor Olaf Scholz on this subject.
“When will kebabs cost three euros again? » On Instagram, the German Chancellor could not avoid the question, as spotted BFMTV. “It is quite striking that everywhere I go, mainly from young people, I am asked if there should not be a freeze on the prices of donër,” he remarks.
A price doubled, even tripled in two years
The debate is very serious, in a country where 1.3 billion kebabs, or around 16 per inhabitant, are consumed each year, for an estimated turnover of 7 billion euros. For comparison, we “only” eat 350 million kebabs per year in France. And the question does not only affect the Turkish community, but also young people in general.
Sold for less than four euros on average in 2022, the kebab is now around seven euros across the Rhine, or even ten euros in large cities. The fault, mainly, is the rise in rents but also in energy costs, Germany being largely dependent on Russian gas. The bill is now too high for young people and the left.
A “serious cry for help”
“When young people ask: “Olaf, make kebabs cheaper”, it is not an Internet joke, but a serious cry for help! The state must intervene so that food does not become a luxury product,” explained Kathi Gebel, representative of the youth branch of Die Linke, to tabloid Bild. The radical left party wants to table a bill to limit the price of kebabs to 4.90 euros, and 2.90 euros for students. The difference with the current cost would be subsidized by the State, for a bill estimated at 4 billion euros per year.
A proposal welcomed by environmentalists, who usually campaign to reduce meat consumption. But the social stakes are too great. “For young people, this is currently as important a question as where they will move when they leave home,” admitted Green MP Hanna Steinmueller last February.
The government assures that it is doing its best. In February 2023, an infographic was even published to illustrate the State’s efforts to limit “donerflation”. But Olaf Scholz does not want to hear about a ceiling, explaining that his hands are tied by the market economy.