doner kebab / spit
Loading your saved state.
doner kebab
A dish made of seasoned meat that is grilled on a vertical spit and cut off in thin layers. It is typically served in flatbread with salad and sauce.
Ich hätte gern einen Döner mit allem und ohne Zwiebeln.
I'd like a doner kebab with everything and no onions.
When ordering a doner kebab, typical phrases are 'einen Döner zum Mitnehmen' (a doner kebab to go), 'mit allem' (with everything, meaning with all the usual ingredients), or 'mit scharfer Soße' (with spicy sauce).
Einen Döner mit allem, aber ohne Zwiebeln, bitte!
A doner kebab with everything, but no onions, please!
The doner kebab, usually called 'Döner' for short in German, comes from Turkish cuisine and is one of the most popular fast-food dishes in Germany. It is a fixed part of everyday culture.
In fast jeder deutschen Stadt findet man einen Döner-Imbiss.
In almost every German city, you can find a doner kebab snack bar.
You can tell whether the dish or the spit is meant from the verb. If someone 'isst' (eats), 'bestellt' (orders), or 'holt' (gets) something, the dish is meant. If something 'dreht sich' (rotates) or is 'gekauft' (bought) for a shop, the spit is meant.
Wir essen heute Abend Döner.
We're eating doner kebab tonight.
skewer / spear
'der Döner' and 'der Spieß' can occur together when grilling meat. 'der Döner' usually means the finished doner kebab in bread with meat, salad, and sauce. But it can also mean the large vertical rotating spit with doner meat on it. 'der Spieß' is more general: it is a long stick or rod that you put meat or vegetables on. The words can be confusing because doner meat is grilled on a spit. But for the food, you say 'Döner'. For the stick or the grilling device, you say 'Spieß'.
Nach dem Training kauft sich Max einen Döner mit viel Salat.
After training, Max buys himself a doner kebab with lots of salad.
Beim Grillen legt Mehmet einen Spieß mit Gemüse auf den Rost.
At the barbecue, Mehmet puts a skewer with vegetables on the grill.