As a culture that takes immense pride in its cuisine and culinary traditions, France appears to be having some difficulty dealing with 21st century realities. Prime Minister Marcon’s impassioned defence of the iconic French baguette was recently discussed in this column (January 28, 2018), now it’s grilled kebabs that some argue are tainting the French landscape. In June 2017, the port city of Marseille cracked down on its street food vendors, almost all of whom were kebab vendors. Accusations of ‘gastronomic racism’ were heard on the streets and in the media.
The kebab controversy is not new; the alarm of ‘kebabisation’ was initially raised in 2014 during the run-up to local elections when a right-wing party warned of the numerous kebab shops invading French society. The reference to kebab was literal (the meat was being handled and prepared in unhygienic conditions they said) and also figurative. Kebab is shorthand for foreigner, North African, Arab, Muslim … take your pick.
According to a well-syndicated Reuters article written by Alexandria Sage, kebabs can be found everywhere in France — cities and towns, supermarket freezers and drive-throughs. There are even kebab-flavoured potato chips available on market shelves. An estimated 300 million kebabs at about six euros each are eaten in 10,200 outlets in France each year, making this 1.5 billion euro (1.9 billion US dollar) industry third after burgers and pizza.
Kebabs are being politicised, allegedly causing an identity crisis in France
Kebabs became popular in Western Europe during the 1990s courtesy of Turkish immigrants and “guest workers” living in Germany. The fad soon spread to the United Kingdom where the local “chippy” now usually features doner kebab alongside traditional fish and chips. The Lebanese, Algerian, and Moroccan communities residing in France easily adopted the kebab and adapted it for French consumption by serving it in crusty bread with French fries.
The appeal of kebabs is not limited to any particular group in France; just as it is eaten by customers of all ages and backgrounds, so is it cooked and served by restaurant owners belonging to all backgrounds. Damien Schmitz is a pioneer in the gourmet kebab sector who owns four restaurants that promote “le kebab chic”. Schmitz wonders why Japanese sushi and Italian pizza did not generate the same outrage among some cultural critics as kebabs.