The döner kebab is thru to have first been served up in Istanbul, Türkiye, final century. However as we speak, the dish – comprised of meat stacked on a vertical skewer, which turns slowly on a rotisserie, earlier than being sliced and served with accompaniments – is properly beloved in Germany.
In keeping with a current YouGov ballot commissioned by German information company dpa, the döner has overtaken currywurst as Germany’s hottest avenue meals.
On the identical time, Germany is taken into account a very powerful marketplace for plant-based meals in Europe in gross sales worth phrases. Germany can be the nation with the best share of plant-based eaters and a powerful share of flexitarians, in accordance with meals system change non-profit ProVeg Worldwide.
A brand new partnership between Unilever-owned plant-based model The Vegetarian Butcher and döner producer The Düzgün Group has sought to satisfy demand for each plant-based meals and the favored meat dish with a vegan various they declare could be dealt with in ‘precisely’ the identical manner as its standard counterpart.
Recreating a ‘distinctive product with a protracted custom’
The problem is that kebab meat is cooked in a different way to nearly all different meats in foodservice. As an alternative of being sizzled in a pan or roasted within the oven, the meat items are stacked vertically upon one another, and held collectively by a skewer.
This permits fats to drop off the spit-roast, which in flip fuels the flames of the hearth, and singes and flavours the meat. By rotating the skewer, warmth is evenly distributed and the outer layers of meat cooked in a ‘tasty basting of fats’, defined Unilever. “This leaves it able to be sliced off and served with condiments and breads of the patron’s selection.”
Teaming up with The Düzgün Group, the duo sought to duplicate this expertise with plant-based substances. “The event was an thrilling problem: döner kebab is a novel product with a protracted custom,” mentioned Bart van de Ree, R&D developer at The Vegetarian Butcher.
“The joint improvement allowed us to grasp after which mimic all of the culinary elements of the kebab: the flavour, the feel, the slicing and shaving in addition to the grilling behaviour.”
Getting the substances proper can be key to the general organoleptic profile. “The plant-based kebab is comprised of soy, plant-based fat, herbs, spices and a few pure flavours,” a Unilever spokesperson advised FoodNavigator.
Requested particularly in regards to the fats ingredient, which performs a dominant position in standard kebab cooking, the spokesperson defined the kebab makes use of vegetable fat, with one instance being rapeseed oil. These fat give the plant-based kebab the ‘identical look, look, juiciness and style as an animal meat kebab’, we have been advised.
Highlight on flavour, texture, slicing and cooking behaviour
The companions used their ‘mixed experience’ to work on potential ache factors, starting from flavourings to texture, slicing and shaving capability, and cooking and grilling.
From a flavour perspective, the plant-based kebab is designed to style like an animal meat kebab. However there could be variations between the flavour profile of animal and plant-based meat alternate options, relying on the animal utilized by the operator, defined the companions.
“We added loads of flavours and spices, comparable to conventional cumin, oregano, garlic, and onion to get the genuine meat kebab style utilizing a plant-based recipe.”
Creating the appropriate texture, notably one that permits for the normal döner kebab form and slicing capability, is reliant on utilizing soy proteins and ‘a number of binding substances’. And leveraging a ‘mix of fat’ with completely different melting traits helps make sure that the plant-based meat is ‘completely browned’ and able to be sliced, whereas remaining juicy, famous the companions.
“Most plant-based kebabs at the moment available in the market are both pre-cut in a handy format or require further cooking after being lower from the skewer. What’s distinctive about our plant-based skewer is that it behaves and could be dealt with like animal meat.
“It’s made to be grilled on the skewer identical to an animal kebab would, with the identical velocity of cooking and browning.”
Commercialisation plans
Unilever and The Düzgün Group are launching the plant-based kebab – which can be halal-certified and lactose-free – into foodservice this month for German and European shoppers.
Europeans outdoors of Germany additionally benefit from the dish, with an estimated 400 tonnes produced day by day – predominantly exported from Germany.
Whereas in Germany you’re almost definitely to search out kebabs accompanied with tomato, cabbage, onion and dill-yogurt sauce, within the UK it’s typically served scorching curry sauce, in Italy with a scorching pepper relish, tzatziki and harissa, and in France with French fries.
The purpose is to ship plant-based meat skewers at scale and in the end, ‘take plant-based kebabs mainstream’.
“The plant-based kebab is a superb extension of our present product vary. It isn’t another however reasonably a stand-alone addition to our vary,” mentioned Fevzi Düzgün, CEO of The Düzgün Group, which provides skewers to döner chains, retailers and eating places.
“We will ship on a big scale and therefore we’re completely set as much as supply restaurateurs a global provide chain for plant-based skewers,” added Blue Yildizbakan, undertaking chief at The Düzgün Group.
Importantly, kitchen groups don’t want additional gear to serve the plant-based providing. The skewer matches ‘seamlessly’ with their gear and cooking producers, defined Hugo Verkuil, CEO of The Vegetarian Butcher.
“Hacking meat icons just like the döner kebab with plant-based equivalents is what it’s all about for us. We’re focusing on meat-lovers – from vegans to carnivores – who don’t wish to miss out. And in relation to visitors, we’re satisfied folks will be unable to style the distinction.”
