Is İskender a geographical indication or a trademark?

A geographical indication protects a production method tied to a place, and anyone following that method may use it. A trademark is a business's name and cannot be used without permission. İskender falls into the second category: the name is a registered trademark of a family in Bursa.

The different names on menus are therefore a legal requirement rather than a mark of quality. The plate itself is the same: thinly sliced döner, tomato sauce and melted butter poured over cubes of flatbread, with strained yogurt alongside.

To judge it, watch the butter: poured at the table, the bread arrives unsoaked; poured in the kitchen, it has already gone soft.