Turks in Germany: How a Dish Can Stand for Successful Cultural Exchange

There is no doubt that the Turkish culture found its way into German lifestyle. And that is no wonder: Just as in Austria, the Netherlands and Bulgaria, Turks are the most significant minority in Germany. There are nearly 3 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, approximately 1,5 million have German citizenship. In Frankfurt for example, the German town with the highest share of foreign nationals (approximately a quarter of the population), Turkish citizens represent approximately 19% of its foreign population and 5% of its total population. But how becomes that influence apparent?

Since the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, probably the first thing that will come into a German’s mind is Döner. Similar to the Arabic Schawarma, this Turkish dish mainly consists of meat which is grilled on a rotary spit and filled in sliced flat bread. Usually salad, tomatoes, onions, red cabbage and gravy are added. (Usually the order of hot sauce is shortened to “With hot!” – “Mit scharf!” – but we will come to this oddity later.) But wait! Isn’t the Döner a German invention?

Though the preparation of meat using a rotary spit has a long tradition in Anatolia, the flat bread and the addition of the other ingredients is said to be the idea of Kadir Nurman, who owned a takeaway in Berlin in the 1970s and 80s. Nurman, a Turkish guest worker, is known as the “inventor“ of Döner, at least of its German version. Since the seventies Berlin has become “capital of Döner” and Döner itself one of the most popular fast food products in Germany.
The question isn’t whether we deal with something Turkish or German. Because the point is that it is neither the one nor the other, it is rather the outcome of a cultural interaction. There may be people who would call it far-fetched to demonstrate cultural exchange with the help of a fast food product. But it is in no way far-fetched! Food is something that affects everybody. At a Döner booth all kinds of people meet: young and old, builder and banker, Germans and Turks. Certainly this is an essential reason why Döner has become this ultimate symbol of cultural exchange.

We know for a long time that it is conditioned by culture what, when and how men eat. So are table manners, rituals, ceremonies and the meaning of particular dishes or regional specialties. Our present food culture is a precise indicator for globalisation processes: There are no longer national cuisines that coexist strictly spatially separated. Today many different food cultures and styles compete for our favour. They affect one another and develop hybrid forms – such as Döner which emerged as an international dish.

There are other examples that confirm emphatically that we don’t deal with a one-sided influence when we talk about the Turkish community in Germany. One example is the German language, the spoken youth language to be more specific. For a few years it can be observed that Turkish words and phrases have entered the German youth language and changed it as a whole.

Let’s have a look at a few examples. Among teenagers it became very popular to prefix or append the Turkish word “lan” which means something like “man!” or “dude!” to a sentence. The Turkish word for “life”, “hayat”, was integrated in contexts, in which it can for instance have the meaning of a term of endearment. In 2014 “hayvan” which can be translated with “animal” or “cattle” ranked third in the list of the youth words of the year. In this list, which is the result of a survey which is carried out by a German media company, Turkish words appeared repeatedly in the last years. A special case is the word “Babo” which became youth word of the year 2013 and is said to be of Turkish origin. Then why have many Turks never heard of it before? In fact “Babo” is a modification of “Baba”, the standard Turkish word for “father”, which is used in East Anatolia. Interestingly, this term not only experienced a remarkable reinterpretation through its adaptation (by meaning something like “boss”) but probably became even more common in Germany than in the country of its origin.

Today many German teenagers use Turkish or Arabic words and adapt the pronunciation and syntax of foreign teenagers. Often structures are simplified – see “Döner mit scharf!”. Though this influence becomes apparent especially in towns with large groups of migrants, this linguistic phenomenon can be observed in the whole country. Since this hybrid language is no longer only spoken by teenagers with Turkish background but also by young German people it received great media attention. Similar phenomena can be observed in other countries, for example in France where the languages of immigrants especially from the three North African States Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as well as Libya and Mauretania have an impact on the spoken French language.

Of course we must not attach too much importance to this process. A language is no rigid system but rather a flexible, living organism. For centuries French, Italian as well as Latin has a bearing on the German language and lately the number of Anglicisms increases more and more. Besides the areas of the colloquial language that are affected most by the Turkish language are those which have always been the most in flux. However the influence of the Turkish language is remarkable and the creative exchange that takes place here confirms once again that the process that takes place in Germany relating to migrants and their children is not a matter of isolation or integration (or even assimilation) but of interaction.

Especially young people whose parents or grandparents immigrated to Germany grow up with a transnational identity. They exceeded the limits of national thinking and consider themselves as Turkish and German alike. They are proud of their Turkish or Kurdish roots and at the same time regard Germany as their home. What may visualize this split national pride the best is the non-official German-Turkish flag that can be sighted during soccer matches (that generally reinforce patriotic feelings). The German-Turkish flag is a German tricolour in black-red-gold with the Turkish symbols crescent and star on the middle red strip. It also appears repeatedly in the media as a symbol of a special bond Turkish people or people with Turkish background who are living in Germany have to both countries.

These generations that refuse to be assigned to one nationality caused a conceptual confusion. Are they to be called Turkish Germans, German Turks or German-Turks? Germans with Turkish migration background or Germans of Turkish descent? A few years ago Mesut Özil pushed it even further with a provoking statement: Speaking to a German newspaper, the German-born football player with Turkish migration background (or of Turkish descent?), who is signed by FC Arsenal since September 2013 and who was part of the World Cup-winning German national team in 2014, pointed out that he has spent more time of his life in Spain than in Turkey and asked whether he is therefore to be called German-Turkish Spanish or Spanish German-Turk.

Özil’s statement implies another aspect that is worth a second thought. Among young people of the second or third migration generation, occasionally there is no real identification with the country of their parents. They adapt in some way the culture that is conveyed by their parents or grandparents but the relation to the country of origin remains abstract. The intensity of the relation depends on how the parents pass on values, norms, customs and traditions to the next generations and whether they choose for themselves the same lifestyle that is exemplified to them.

It must not be ignored that the cultural diversity that characterises the living together in Germany also stokes fears – on both sides. Some Germans fear for what they consider as the integrity of their culture while some immigrants as well as their family members that remained in the country of origin are afraid that the next generations grow up losing touch with the culture of their ancestors. This also applies to the Turkish community in Germany. Controversial issues are frequently connected to religious questions such as the question whether to wear a Muslim headscarf or not. Because of these fears potential for conflict arises. Unfortunately, Xenophobia is a problem that also concerns a diversified society as the German. Luckily it occurs in particular in areas where few migrants live. These people just did not yet acquire a taste for the many assets of multiculturalism!

Let’s get back to Mesut Özil. Just recently he criticised the media for always labelling him as German-Turk. His resentment was directed less at the designation than at the persistent public discussion about his citizenship and national identity. Rightly, he claims to be judged as athlete. Since football is international, it would have nothing to do with the roots of his family.

So, sometimes nationality is irrelevant. Just like it is completely irrelevant whether the Döner is of German or Turkish origin – the main thing is: It’s absolutely delicious!

Turks in Germany: How a Dish Can Stand for Successful Cultural Exchange

There is no doubt that the Turkish culture found its way into German lifestyle. And that is no wonder: Just as in Austria, the Netherlands and Bulgaria, Turks are the most significant minority in Germany. There are nearly 3 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, approximately 1,5 million have German citizenship. In Frankfurt for example, the German town with the highest share of foreign nationals (approximately a quarter of the population), Turkish citizens represent approximately 19% of its foreign population and 5% of its total population. But how becomes that influence apparent? Since the way to a mans heart is through his stomach, probably the first thing that will come into a Germans mind is Dner. Similar to the Arabic Schawarma, this Turkish dish mainly consists of meat which is grilled on a rotary spit and filled in sliced flat bread. Usually salad, tomatoes, onions, red cabbage and gravy are added. (Usually the order of hot sauce is shortened to With hot! Mit scharf! but we will come to this oddity later.) But wait! Isnt the Dner a German invention? Though the preparation of meat using a rotary spit has a long tradition in Anatolia, the flat bread and the addition of the other ingredients is said to be the idea of Kadir Nurman, who owned a takeaway in Berlin in the 1970s and 80s. Nurman, a Turkish guest worker, is known as the inventor of Dner, at least of its German version. Since the seventies Berlin has become capital of Dner and Dner itself one of the most popular fast food products in Germany. The question isnt whether we deal with something Turkish or German. Because the point is that it is neither the one nor the other, it is rather the outcome of a cultural interaction. There may be people who would call it far-fetched to demonstrate cultural exchange with the help of a fast food product. But it is in no way far-fetched! Food is something that affects everybody. At a Dner booth all kinds of people meet: young and old, builder and banker, Germans and Turks. Certainly this is an essential reason why Dner has become this ultimate symbol of cultural exchange. We know for a long time that it is conditioned by culture what, when and how men eat. So are table manners, rituals, ceremonies and the meaning of particular dishes or regional specialties. Our present food culture is a precise indicator for globalisation processes: There are no longer national cuisines that coexist strictly spatially separated. Today many different food cultures and styles compete for our favour. They affect one another and develop hybrid forms such as Dner which emerged as an international dish. There are other examples that confirm emphatically that we dont deal with a one-sided influence when we talk about the Turkish community in Germany. One example is the German language, the spoken youth language to be more specific. For a few years it can be observed that Turkish words and phrases have entered the German youth language and changed it as a whole. Lets have a look at a few examples. Among teenagers it became very popular to prefix or append the Turkish word lan which means something like man! or dude! to a sentence. The Turkish word for life, hayat, was integrated in contexts, in which it can for instance have the meaning of a term of endearment. In 2014 hayvan which can be translated with animal or cattle ranked third in the list of the youth words of the year. In this list, which is the result of a survey which is carried out by a German media company, Turkish words appeared repeatedly in the last years. A special case is the word Babo which became youth word of the year 2013 and is said to be of Turkish origin. Then why have many Turks never heard of it before? In fact Babo is a modification of Baba, the standard Turkish word for father, which is used in East Anatolia. Interestingly, this term not only experienced a remarkable reinterpretation through its adaptation (by meaning something like boss) but probably became even more common in Germany than in the country of its origin. Today many German teenagers use Turkish or Arabic words and adapt the pronunciation and syntax of foreign teenagers. Often structures are simplified see Dner mit scharf!. Though this influence becomes apparent especially in towns with large groups of migrants, this linguistic phenomenon can be observed in the whole country. Since this hybrid language is no longer only spoken by teenagers with Turkish background but also by young German people it received great media attention. Similar phenomena can be observed in other countries, for example in France where the languages of immigrants especially from the three North African States Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as well as Libya and Mauretania have an impact on the spoken French language. Of course we must not attach too much importance to this process. A language is no rigid system but rather a flexible, living organism. For centuries French, Italian as well as Latin has a bearing on the German language and lately the number of Anglicisms increases more and more. Besides the areas of the colloquial language that are affected most by the Turkish language are those which have always been the most in flux. However the influence of the Turkish language is remarkable and the creative exchange that takes place here confirms once again that the process that takes place in Germany relating to migrants and their children is not a matter of isolation or integration (or even assimilation) but of interaction. Especially young people whose parents or grandparents immigrated to Germany grow up with a transnational identity. They exceeded the limits of national thinking and consider themselves as Turkish and German alike. They are proud of their Turkish or Kurdish roots and at the same time regard Germany as their home. What may visualize this split national pride the best is the non-official German-Turkish flag that can be sighted during soccer matches (that generally reinforce patriotic feelings). The German-Turkish flag is a German tricolour in black-red-gold with the Turkish symbols crescent and star on the middle red strip. It also appears repeatedly in the media as a symbol of a special bond Turkish people or people with Turkish background who are living in Germany have to both countries. These generations that refuse to be assigned to one nationality caused a conceptual confusion. Are they to be called Turkish Germans, German Turks or German-Turks? Germans with Turkish migration background or Germans of Turkish descent? A few years ago Mesut zil pushed it even further with a provoking statement: Speaking to a German newspaper, the German-born football player with Turkish migration background (or of Turkish descent?), who is signed by FC Arsenal since September 2013 and who was part of the World Cup-winning German national team in 2014, pointed out that he has spent more time of his life in Spain than in Turkey and asked whether he is therefore to be called German-Turkish Spanish or Spanish German-Turk. zils statement implies another aspect that is worth a second thought. Among young people of the second or third migration generation, occasionally there is no real identification with the country of their parents. They adapt in some way the culture that is conveyed by their parents or grandparents but the relation to the country of origin remains abstract. The intensity of the relation depends on how the parents pass on values, norms, customs and traditions to the next generations and whether they choose for themselves the same lifestyle that is exemplified to them. It must not be ignored that the cultural diversity that characterises the living together in Germany also stokes fears on both sides. Some Germans fear for what they consider as the integrity of their culture while some immigrants as well as their family members that remained in the country of origin are afraid that the next generations grow up losing touch with the culture of their ancestors. This also applies to the Turkish community in Germany. Controversial issues are frequently connected to religious questions such as the question whether to wear a Muslim headscarf or not. Because of these fears potential for conflict arises. Unfortunately, Xenophobia is a problem that also concerns a diversified society as the German. Luckily it occurs in particular in areas where few migrants live. These people just did not yet acquire a taste for the many assets of multiculturalism! Lets get back to Mesut zil. Just recently he criticised the media for always labelling him as German-Turk. His resentment was directed less at the designation than at the persistent public discussion about his citizenship and national identity. Rightly, he claims to be judged as athlete. Since football is international, it would have nothing to do with the roots of his family. So, sometimes nationality is irrelevant. Just like it is completely irrelevant whether the Dner is of German or Turkish origin the main thing is: Its absolutely delicious!