Döner Kebab

Bursa, Turkey — formalised by Hamdi Usta (Iskender Usta) in the 1860s; the modern döner kebab as a fast-food concept spread through Turkish immigrant communities to Germany in the 1970s

The rotating vertical spit of stacked seasoned lamb (or beef, or chicken) that has conquered global street food culture was formalised as a restaurant dish by Hamdi Usta in Bursa in the 1860s, though meat-on-spit traditions predate this by millennia across the Middle East. The döner is built by pressing marinated, thinly sliced meat onto a vertical spit in alternating layers, with fat distributed throughout to self-baste as the mass rotates against the heat element. The exterior is continuously shaved with a long knife as it browns and crisps, collecting the charred, savoury outer layer. The interior remains warm and moist while the exterior chars — two textures in one cut. In Turkey, döner is served on pide bread or white rice, never in a tortilla wrap (that is the German-Turkish dürüm innovation).

• Shares vertical-spit cooking with Greek gyros (pork), Middle Eastern shawarma (lamb/chicken), and Mexican al pastor (which was brought by Lebanese immigrants); all descend from the same Ottoman-Levantine spit-roast tradition

Served on pide with roasted tomatoes and charred green peppers in Turkish restaurants; as dürüm (rolled in flatbread) in fast-food settings; with pilav (rice) as a complete restaurant meal; cacık (cucumber-garlic yogurt) or ezme (spiced tomato dip) alongside