Germany: Döner ousts currywurst as fast-food favorite

The döner kebab has overtaken currywurst as Germany's favorite fast food, a recent survey has shown.

The results of the YouGov survey, commissioned by the German dpa news agency, represent a blow to the country's reputation as a sausage-loving hub.

What did the survey show about fast food in Germany?

Some 45% of adult respondents said they would rather eat a döner — a meat-filled flatbread dish that is said to have been invented by Turkish immigrants in the 1970s — than currywurst, the sliced sausage slathered in curry-flavored ketchup that has long been a staple at German fast-food joints.

The survey showed just 37% of people sticking to the old favorite, while 15% would turn up their noses at either of the two offerings.

There was a clear generational divide in the results, with a majority of the over-55s opting for currywurst, while 57% of the 18-24 age group preferred döners as compared with 21% currywurst-lovers..

Women were also more in favor of the savory wraps, with 47% choosing them as their go-to fast food. Men prefered currywurst by a small margin of 43% to 42%.

 According to statistics from the Association of Turkish Döner Producers in Europe (ATDiD) from 2017, there are some 40,000 döner shops in Germany, with some 4,000 of those in the capital, Berlin — more than in Istanbul.

Edited by: Rob Turner

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