Germans increasingly prefer döner kebab over currywurst, according to a survey pitting the two specialties against each other by YouGov for dpa news agency.
Asked to choose between Berlin’s two greasiest contributions to world cuisine, 45 percent of adults picked the döner kebab and 37 percent chose currywurst. Some 15 percent say they like neither, which might include vegans unaware that meat-free kebabs and sausages can be found in Berlin.
The shift from currywurst to döner is mostly generational, the poll shows. The sausage sprinkled with Indian spices and drowned in spicy ketchup — which first appeared in Berlin after World War II — is more popular with older Germans, especially men. Fans of the Berlin version of the Middle Eastern dish, made popular by Turkish immigrants in the 70s, tend to skew younger and more female.
While 47 percent of women prefer döner kebab and only 30 percent chose currywurst, the two dishes are almost even with men (43 for the sausage and 42 for the wrap). While people over 55 generally prefer currywurst, kebab is almost three times as popular as wurst among 18- to 24-year-olds.
When it comes to national cuisine, Gen Z Germans prefer Italian cuisine (21 percent) to their own (15 percent).
