Turkish pide

Let's find out how Turkish pide is prepared in the two most famous variations: with meat (kiymali) and with cheese.

For Italians, pizza is sacred but it is certainly not the only recipe in the world. Of uncertain origin, it was also prepared in other areas of the world. Consider that the Assyrians already made a sort of pizza which, in all likelihood, is the ancestor of the Turkish pide, the recipe we want to share with you today.

The peculiarity of the so-called Turkish pizza is without a shadow of a doubt its shape : oval and reminiscent of an eye or a boat, it contains all the filling inside. A treatise could also be written on the filling: the most famous version is with minced lamb (or mutton) and spices , followed by the cheese version. So let's see how the Turkish pide dough and the most famous fillings are prepared.

How to prepare Turkish pide or kiymali pide recipe

1. First prepare the pide dough which will be common whatever filling you choose. Dissolve the yeast in the water together with a teaspoon of sugar .
2. Combine the flour , oil and salt in a large bowl and slowly pour in first the water in which you dissolved the yeast and then the milk. Knead until you obtain a homogeneous and smooth dough and leave it to rise in the oven with the light on until it doubles in size. It will take about 2 hours .
3. In the meantime, wash the tomato and pepper and remove both seeds. Cut them into rather small cubes and place them in a bowl together with the spices , finely chopped onion and a pinch of salt . Mix with your hands to mix all the flavors well.
4. Once the leavening time has passed, divide the dough into two parts and roll them out to form a rectangle approximately 30 cm long and 15-20 cm wide.
5. Roll the long edges around one turn and join them to form an eye . Place the filling in the center, leveling it then bake at 220°C for approximately 20 minutes . Serve it cut into strips sprinkling it with lemon juice just as Turkish tradition dictates.

Turkish cheese pide

The most famous variant of this typical Turkish street food is cheese pide. Tradition would have it prepared with a typical local cheese, kaşar, but you can replace it with half a weight of mozzarella and half a weight of feta. For the two pide you will need:

• 150 g of feta
• 150 g of mozzarella for pizza
• 1 egg (for the version with Kaşarlı-yumurtalı pide egg)

Grate the two cheeses and mix them with a spoon. Transfer them to the pide after you have given them the classic shape and cook at 220°C for approximately 15 minutes . If you wish to add the egg, add it when cooked and put back in the oven for a couple of minutes.

There is also a simpler version of pide whose surface is enriched only with sesame seeds . It is Ramazan pidesi , or Ramadan bread.

Conservation

The pide will keep out of the refrigerator for a couple of days. Reheat it in the oven or air fryer before enjoying it: it will come back as fresh as it was made.

Origin and history of Turkish pide

It is really difficult to trace the origins of Turkish pide . Just like pizza, more or less similar preparations are found in the history of ancient peoples. In the case of Turkish pizza, the first to make it appear to have been the Assyrians in 2000 BC. This ancient people prepared a sort of flat focaccia stuffed with meat that resembles pide.

It then seems to have arrived on the shores of the Mediterranean at the hands of the Byzantines , giving life to a whole series of recipes that are still present in the area today, such as piadina. Pide, pita, piadina : different recipes therefore with a common ancestor.

But here's a fun fact: cheese pide was the favorite dish of Mehmet the Conqueror , one of the most famous sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Who knows, it might become yours too!