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Meat content, taste and freshness in comparisonThe big kebab test from RTL! Does a good kebab really have to be expensive?
Almost ten euros for a kebab?!
The days when you could get the popular bread bag for 3.50 euros are long gone. But does a good kebab really have to be that expensive? RTL carried out the test together with food inspector Bernd Stumm. You can find out how the kebabs perform in different price ranges and whether a kebab for 9.50 euros is really worth it in the video above.
Expensive versus cheap! Three kebabs in the quality check on RTL
In RTL's big kebab test, three flatbreads and contents are put to the test: a cheap veal kebab for 5 euros, a medium-priced bread bag with veal for 8 euros and an expensive kebab with lamb for 9.50 euros. But does the meat actually contain what is on the menu?
Together with the food inspector Bernd Stumm, we take samples – from the meat, the packaging of the flatbread and from the tables in the kebab shop – and have them analyzed in the laboratory. Meanwhile, Bernd Stumm takes a critical look at the bread bags he bought and dares to taste test them.
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What makes a good doner kebab anyway? Food expert explains
Not every doner is really a doner kebab! According to Bernd Stumm, in order for the bread bag to be allowed to bear this name, it must meet certain requirements: “No foreign additives, 60 percent minced meat content. Anything that is different is no longer a doner kebab,” explains the food inspector, explaining the requirements.
However, the expert also knows the tricks of the fast food industry: “What often happens is that the minced meat content is increased and binding agents come in – i.e. breadcrumbs, liquid spices or, or, or.” However, binding agents such as breadcrumbs, soy protein or starch not only have to be labeled, they also adulterate the doner kebab. “The quality is reduced as a result“, explains Bernd Stumm.
You can recognize a real doner kebab by the structure of the meat. “If I have a pure minced meat mass where I don’t recognize any layers, then I know: Aha, this is not a kebab, but a rotisserie,” the expert explains the legal difference between a real doner kebab and a kebab-style rotisserie.
A real doner kebab consists of layered meat, not a pure minced meat mass.
RTL
Otherwise, a good kebab should be slightly crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside and well seasoned. By the way, there are tips in the video that will help you determine the high quality of the kebab in the kebab shop.
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Which kebab impresses with its meat content, taste and freshness?
The test starts with the most expensive product: the lamb kebab for 9.50 euros. “We have real slices of meat here. You can actually still see the layers here. That's actually a good indication of a doner kebab,” explains Bernd Stumm enthusiastically. The meat content is also convincing: “167 grams, which is definitely in the commercially available segment, where we say between 150 and 180 grams of meat,” explains the food inspector.
Finally, the taste test takes place: “The spice mixture from the lamb was also very well balanced,” says the expert. The salad is fresh, the bread is toasted and nice and crunchy – as it should be according to Bernd Stumm. Above all, that it is homemade and the bread is always “a very fresh quality” convinced the food tester.
We continue with the medium-priced kebab for eight euros. The flatbread isn't homemade, but the meat content is right: 173 grams. “I also think that's the case here the quality and quantity is quite okay in comparison price-performance“, the inspector draws his conclusion.
However, the cheapest kebab for five euros cannot convince Bernd Stumm: the meat content is only 80 grams, or about half. The salad doesn't seem very fresh and there are no visible layers in the meat. The kebab doesn't even score in terms of taste: “It's more like rubber. I suspect that the minced meat content is very high,” explains the expert. His summary: “We have a clear difference in quality here, once from the salad and once from the meat.”
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Test result: Two kebabs are convincing, one fails – because of “deceiving the consumer”
This means that Bernd Stumm has a clear favorite: the high-priced kebab wins, but the medium-priced result is also impressive. Only the cheapest kebab fails – both because of the taste and because of the alarming laboratory results on the meat. For the food inspector this is a “deception of the consumer”.
Bernd Stumm explains: “That is not permitted. If the food inspection department determines this, it will be complained about or a fine will be imposed.” You can find out exactly what the sample analysis in the laboratory revealed in the video above.
Sources used: own RTL research
