what do you think about this country I'm going to visit?

[Jaboldinho]

Berlin's beautiful.

Eat kebab. Best kebab I've ever had was in Berlin. Go see both sides of the city. It's pretty shocking, how different they still are. Walk the wall, cool art there.

Other than that, don't really have any special suggestions. We didn't to anything special, mostly walked around town seeing what came to us.

 

[Alex]

Sir_Didier_Drogba mostly hit the nail on the head - though remember his is a bit of a hipster.

Oh and kebab - Jabo is right. In fact I've heard that Berlin is the home if what western society calls the kebab. They were invented there, not the middle east, based on something similar in the middle east (or something like that).

Berlin isn't quite the home of Pork and beer - that's more Bavaria (Munich), or further east in Europe, bit they still do a good job.

They LOVE their clubs and house sort of music there too.

Currywurst is good too, as Sir_Didier_Drogba said (though mine always came with curry powder, and a curry flavoured sauce - which may have been tomato based), definitely try it at least once if you don't mind eating pork. It's not the world best good, but little pieces of meat, for not much money are a great street snack.

There are also some really good chocolate shops in Berlin now - where you can make your own custom box and stuff, which is great if you're into that sort of stuff (or bringing your gf).

I actually did a ridiculously good Third Reich walking tour (which also went over some cold war history). The chick that guided us was a German uni student, who spoke perfect English. It was very very interesting.

It really is a great night life city though. Head out, and don't stay at one bar too long. So many cool bars to see

 

[Theodorakis]

Oh and kebab - Jabo is right. In fact I've heard that Berlin is the home if what western society calls the kebab. They were invented there, not the middle east, based on something similar in the middle east (or something like that).

I live in the town, bursa (or prusa in old language) that kebab actually invented back in late 1800's.. it's called the "iskender"..

you simply stick a metal bar to the meat from the back of a lamb and place it vertical, rather than horizontal.. you serve it with tomato sauce and yoghurt, but it's not the same yoghurt you're used to.. it's not sweet or fruity at all, it has creamy and milky taste..

I don't know what would you like with it, but it's not cola or "ayran".. what gets on well with kebab is "sira"... it's made by pressing red grapes with seeds and stuff, but not filtering it afterwards.. so it's not homogenous, but it is smooth.. it tastes somewhat sweet, but it regulates your blood sugar levels and it is digestive..













it also explains why I'm 2.00m high and weigh 130kg's..

 

[Jaboldinho]

Iskender is great. The kebab most seen in Berlin though I feel is pita kebab, all the meat, sauces and salad wrapped inside the bread, rather than served with cubes of it.

 

[Chuckínho]

Zum Beispiel - Ein Doner

I don't mind washing it down with a Mezzo-Mix or Vita Cola if you are closer to Karl-Marx Stadt.

 

[Alex]

Yeah, I'm referring to the Doner Kebab, which you get throughout Europe and Australia (not sure where else). It's technically still cooked on a stick, but is generally sliced off into a pita. Generally with salad (lettuce, tomato, onion) and often tabouli and hummus.

 

[Alex]

but it's not the same yoghurt you're used to.. it's not sweet or fruity at all, it has creamy and milky taste..

Sounds like what we generally call natural yogurt or sometimes Greek yogurt.

Yogurt before adding sugar/fruit/flavours.

It's a great base for sauces.

 

[Chuckínho]

There is the less visible option of the Durum as well, which is what I have seen in Australia.
The garlic sauce could kill you.

 

[Chuckínho]

The Turkish diaspora has caused the spread of Donerbuden around Germany. They have been slow to spread into the East though. There was only one when I was living in Leipzig.

 

[Chuckínho]

Good to see this thread has moved toward the culinary fineries of Germany.
They do eat a lot of pork, but a Schweinshaxe with Potato Dumplings goes well with a Mass.

Berlin's Beer landscape is a bit thin, but Schultheiss and Berliner Weisse are my favourites. The Weisse is sour and an acquired acidic taste.

 

[Alex]

Never been a huge wheat beer fan. I love beer, especially my red, brown and darker ales (I've even studied it basically), but just can't make myself like wheat beers.

What is the Durum? Never seen it called that before? I also notice it says Durum Doner. We generally have the big pile of meat (though often it's recombobulated) as in the photo, but never seen it called a Durum.

Where as the term Kebab is basically relevant for any meat cooked on a stick.

 

[Theodorakis]

Yeah, I'm referring to the Doner Kebab, which you get throughout Europe and Australia (not sure where else). It's technically still cooked on a stick, but is generally sliced off into a pita. Generally with salad (lettuce, tomato, onion) and often tabouli and hummus.

ok, whether you serve it on the plate or not, the name is "iskender doner".. the word "doner" means "rotating" in turkish and you know it's been cooked in a vertically rotating bar..

tabouli and hummus are middle eastern cousine, unlike the north western part of Turkey where iskender doner is invented.... I don't know how they combine doner with these because we don't do like that around here.. it's only been served with "herze", which is made of eggplant, onion, dried tomatoes, olive oil and with or without yoghurt..

serving doner with pita is easy, easier than serving in a plate.. and the reason being served with humus and tabouli is because, the people serving these foods in diaspora are from southeastern parts of Turkey, and they have no idea what iskender doner really is..

 

[Alex]

Cool, I did wonder where Doner came from.

Guessing they eat tabouli and hummus in other forms of kebabs in southern Turkey, and so that's possibly where that comes from. Falafel "kebabs" (wrong word, as they're not a kebab, just a pita wrap) are very popular here too. Is falafel from the south/north or neither?

Obviously good gets bastardized as it travels, and food from different parts of similar cultures/diets are often combined.

Suvlaki is another quite similar food in the way it's served, but Greek. It's served in a pita style wrap, often with yogurt and cabbage, but is usually chopped grilled lamb, not kebab/doner meat.

 

[Theodorakis]

What is the Durum? Never seen it called that before? I also notice it says Durum Doner. We generally have the big pile of meat (though often it's recombobulated) as in the photo, but never seen it called a Durum.

the word "durum" comes from the verb "dur-mek" in turkish.. the english word for "durum" is something like "rolling".. and like "doner", it's called durum because you simply roll "lavash" (kind of a very thin bread) with the ingredients inside..

 

[Alex]

the word "durum" comes from the verb "dur-mek" in turkish.. the english word for "durum" is something like "rolling".. and like "doner", it's called durum because you simply roll "lavash" (kind of a very thin bread) with the ingredients inside..

Ah ok. So Durum Doner makes more sense for what we call a Doner Kebab.

IE. Rotation cooked meat (Doner Kebab) in a wrap (Durum)?

 

[Chuckínho]

Essentially a Durum is what Aussies call a Doner Kebab. In Germany a Doner is a cut open turkish bread with fillings, not rolled as such.

 

[Theodorakis]

Cool, I did wonder where Doner came from.

Guessing they eat tabouli and hummus in other forms of kebabs in southern Turkey, and so that's possibly where that comes from.

spot on..

falafel "kebabs" (wrong word, as they're not a kebab, just a pita wrap) are very popular here too. Is falafel from the south/north or neither?

yep.. falafel is actually arabic cousine, which is popular at south/southeastern part of Turkey..

Suvlaki is another quite similar food in the way it's served, but Greek. It's served in a pita style wrap, often with yogurt and cabbage, but is usually chopped grilled lamb, not kebab/doner meat.

the name suvlaki is greek obviously, but we have exactly the same thing named "shish kebab" here as well..

 

[Chuckínho]

I'm not sure how authentic a German kebab is when compared to its Turkish predecessor but I've always enjoyed a German Doner. Although you can also get a container or cone of the Donerfleisch (meat) if the mood takes you.

 

[Chuckínho]

I've had the Greek lamb thing in Australia and they called it Yeeros or Gyros, mostly in Adelaide though. I understand they call that a Souvlaki in Melbourne.

 

[Theodorakis]

IE. Rotation cooked meat (Doner Kebab) in a wrap (Durum)?

you've nailed it, fucker!