Döner Kebab Spices?

There is no standard spice mix for Doner Kebabs. This generally applies to any food in any part of the world. There can be a common mix, but as you have experienced, they can be quite specific to certain areas of the world

A major factor for noting a common spice mix is the global food supply industry. What happens in general is that food retailers buy bulk spices from their local food wholesaler. In many regions there is little competition for food wholesaling. Food wholesalers pre-mix ingredients for popular food items in suitable sizes. So in one location, other than a few "independent" or "food artisan" places, everyone seem to taste the same

I have seen this with some hilarity in my own country. We have one main food wholesaler for each of the two main geographic areas our country is divided into. For Easter, hot cross buns have a strong spice flavour, but most bakeries seem to just use the local food wholesalers pre-mixed spice. The two main food wholesalers spice mixes have entirely different flavour profiles. So people travelling into the other region think that the hot cross buns are a bit bland. Both are fine, but just quite different

For Doner Kebabs, this could be just a single source of dry spice mix, or maybe they all get pre-assembled gyros from a specialist meat supplier whom uses their own spice mix? As the popularity of Doner Kebabs rises, other meat suppliers getting into making gyros may just copy this spice mix for lack of knowledge or originality. The latter is common in many western countries

So a polite ask at your local Doner Kebab vendor to whether they make their own gyro, or buy a spice mix from a wholesaler may solve the problem?

In the UK I have come across a Doner Kebab Mix that you can buy from local shops or eBay. You may be able to get some information or ideas from that mix. It is very good and better than the kebab i get from my takeaway.

Search eBay for Doner Kebab Mix or Seasoning.

From what I can find from various sources in German, a typical "Döner spice blend" includes a lot of black pepper and salt, followed by oregano or marjoram, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Additionally, most retail products include an instant broth powder, and a fair dose of MSG or related "flavor enhancers".

Most products will have some additives to help keep the ingredients free flowing (dextrose or similar), but you won't need that to replicate the dish.

Additionally, I'd expect to see some sweet or piquant Hungarian paprika in most recipes, though in the German sources I spotted, it wasn't always in the off-the-shelf blend itself; I imagine people like to feel like they are "customizing" the seasoning by adding their own preferred levels of some ingredients.

This is pretty consistent with my memory of experiences eating Döner in Hessen, though the last time I had Döner Kebab was circa 1992 and I haven't eaten meat for a very long time. I am fairly certain that a substantial quantity of MSG is used at most German Turkish shops.

If you want to get a close approximation of the dish, consider searching for recipes for Iskender kebap. I'm not 100% sure that yogurt is part of the marinade for Döner, but it's a closely related dish and the seasoning appears similar.

You've got two questions, with 2 different approaches: What is the "authentic" spice mix used in your local region? and What is the spice mix that most appeals to you (or your eaters/customers)?

I'm in NYC, and there are easily 100's of gyro, kebab & shwarma food trucks, plus a host of "authentic" and "fusion-style" Middle Eastern/N. African/W. Asian restaurants, as well as all the immigrant families who cook at home but shop at both US-style and foreign-style supermarkets. Everyone uses their own different mix of spices, sometimes even just depending on their mood, the weather, today's meat, or as TFD points out, what's available at the shops/wholesaler.

If you want to know what your favorite guy uses, and you're not a competitor, go ahead and ask. If you want to know what "tastes like Mom used to make" uses, you'll need to ask some immigrant cooks.

Otherwise go through your earlier experiments (if it's valuable info, I'm sure you made notes) and figure out what best suits your tastes (and your eaters/customers).

The question is a very valid and when stated simply, it amounts to , what is the defining ingredient in a Doner Kebab ?

The answer is , seven spices , it is a mix dominated by cinnamon ,cloves , cardamom ,black pepper, + , dill , marjoram and or thyme or what ever you feel like as there is no fixed formula beyond the first four ingredients .

Cinnamon , cloves and cardamom were used long before refrigeration to mask any off flavors that would develop during the marinating period which traditionally extended for few days in an attempt to break down the meat and allow the flavor of the spices to penetrate during the meat being immersed in a bath of salt and vinegar . You can take a short cut these days and obtain a "Shawarma" spice mix , either online or at your nearest middle eastern store .