Vegetarian and vegan pide options are usually available in the places that have pide. But the most preferred flavor of pide is the one with meat and cheese in it. Pide is traditionally made in stone ovens with open wood fire. You flatten the dough and stretch it from the sides to create a slimmer shape. Then you fill the middle with the fillings and fold the outside inwards, leaving the middle section open. After the assembly, you put it inside the already extremely hot stone oven, and it quickly cooks without losing any of its juice!

Types of Pide:

  • Minced Meat

  • Cubed Meat

  • Cheese

  • Mushrooms

  • Spinach

  • Minced Meat and Eggs

You can be sure that each and every one of these pides is ridiculously delicious and worth a try. They generally chop it into bite-sized pieces so you can order different types to share and taste each of them with your friends. We advise you to drink ayran with it as a refreshment because, as we have mentioned, it is a heavy dish. 

Differences between Pide from Lahmacun

Lahmacun is another famous Turkish food that is quite similar to pizza. Still, it’s thinner, and it has minced meat, peppers, onion, and tomatoes in it. As the dough is very thin, lahmacun would be a healthy option rather than pide. Pide is usually larger than lahmacun, and the dough is thicker. These options are two of the greatest things to eat in Istanbul! They are very delicious, so we advise you to try both of them!

Diversity of Turkish Cuisine

Turkish cuisine is one of the most diverse cuisines in the world. There are many foods to try, from salty foods to desserts and vegetables with olive oil. We are sure you can find a famous Turkish dish according to your taste! Your favorite food might be pide or another food too!

Turkish breakfast is also another favorite meal of Turkey. There is a concept called “serpme kahvalti” that has dozens of foods like eggs, sausage, different types of bread, and sometimes even pide, olives, different kinds of cheese, and many other delicious foods! Sometimes people can’t even finish the full breakfast as they serve too much with unlimited Turkish tea! 

Places to Eat Pide

You can eat pide in most of the kebab restaurants or places specifically making pide. But some of them are a bit more famous than others. Let’s check out 5 places to eat tastier pide in Istanbul:

Meşhur Fatih Karadeniz Pidecisi İbrahim Usta 

All Turkish patties here are prepared with ingredients of excellent quality. This place has served since 1969, already more than 50 years of experience. 

Pide Ban

This place procures all of its ingredients from the Black Sea region, which is the mainland of pide. The food is so tasty, especially its pide with sausage, pastrami, roasted meat, and minced meat. We advise you to dip the bread in a cheese pide and eat it. It appeals both to the eyes and the throat. Ban pide and mushroom pide are their unique pide recipes which are also the most popular ones. Unlike other pide places, Pide Ban is not shabby. 

Coşkun Usta Bafra Pide 

Bafra is the main city of the pide. This region’s pide is known to be crunchier rather than soft. There are dozens of options of pide flavors here, like spinach, zucchini, and eggplant. So, this might be a fantastic place if you are a vegetarian or a vegan. 

Yerinde Pide

Just like Coşkun Usta, Yerinde Pide also has a broad diversity of pide flavors. In addition, Yerinde Pide also makes their pide with whole wheat flour if you want to. This means lower calories, but still, it’s calories! 

MÇC Lider Pide

According to their own definition, “Trabzon’s local cheeses, specially prepared with yeast dough, that has a unique flavor which is brought together by master hands and with wood fire” are available here! Turkish Patty or pide prepared here is in the Black Sea style, which is made with Trabzon flour and blended with carefully selected ingredients from Trabzon, is simply delicious! Here, you can try the roasted, cheddar, mixed and minced pide options. 

Frequently Asked Question

What does pide mean in Turkey?
Pide is a traditional Turkish flatbread that comes with various toppings.
Is pide better than pizza?
Turkish pide provides an amazing alternative to pizza types.
How do you eat Turkish pide?
You can eat Turkish pide like pizza, by hand. Turkish people usually do not use a fork and knife to eat pide.
Is pide the same as pita?
Yes, pita is the Greek name for Turkish pide.
What is pita in English?
A thin, flat bread that has toppings (usually meat) is pita in English.