Tikka look at this: a history of the humble kebab

KEBABS first appeared in the UK in the 1940s, following the arrival of immigrants from Turkish, Cypriot and Kurdish communities in search of a new life.

The UK’s first kebab shop, Istanbul Restaurant in Soho, opened during the Second World War. But it was not until 1966 that the famous doner kebab – cooked on a vertical spit – first appeared with the opening of the Hodja Nasreddin Kebab House by Çetin Bukey and Kojay Hüseyin in north London’s Newington Green. Now it is not just Turks, Cypriots, Kurds or Greeks who make kebabs – they are now to be found in most takeaways from the traditional chippy to the local Indian.

Every day 1.3 million kebabs are sold across Britain with around 2,500 tonnes of lamb and chicken doner sold a week. Dogus, founder of the British Kebab Awards, says the kebab has become “a truly British institution”.

“The fierce competition between kebab houses that exists in Scottish cities is a great indicator of how popular this cuisine has become after a period of rapid growth,” he said.

“The kebab industry is spreading ever further into every corner of Britain. With 1.3 million kebabs sold in the UK every day it must be a considered one of Britain’s national dishes. The fact that kebabs, particularly doner, are now available in so many of Scotland’s traditional British fish and chip shops is also a huge compliment and testimony to the Scots’ love of the kebab.”

Ercan Kaya, who runs the Turkish Double Doner wholesaler in Glasgow, delivers meat predominantly in Scotland said he now sells around 15 tonnes of doner a week, three times more than five years ago. Ten years ago he would have had a potential customer base of 500 – it has now grown to 3,000.

“Before fish and chip shops sold just fish and chips, then they started to sell pizzas and now it is kebabs,” he said. “Traditionally, doner kebab was sold in kebab shops only but now other takeaways are getting on the bandwagon. In the Shettleston area there were two or three takeaways shops 10 years ago which sold kebabs and now there is 15, maybe more.”

Kaya says the kebab’s popularity is down to people “tightening their belts” after the 2008 financial meltdown.

“Maybe before they would go to restaurants, but I think now people would prefer to leave restaurants to special occasions,” he said.