ISTANBUL (IHA) : Samsun’s geographically marked food, the Bafra pide, stands out not only for its taste, acknowledged by culinary authorities worldwide, but also for its preparation and baking process, setting it apart from other pides.
In the “World’s Best Foods List,” Samsun claimed the top two spots in the “Best Breads” category. Taste Atlas, a significant source in the gastronomy world, placed Bafra and Samsun pides at the top of its “Top 10 Breads” list. These Samsun delicacies, listed as Bafra pide and Samsun pide, surpassed Brazil’s pao de queijo, Malaysia’s roti canai, Colombia’s pan de bono, Azerbaijan’s qutab, Italy’s piadina romagnola, and India’s butter garlic naan and amritsari kulcha.
“Customers who taste the pide really enjoy it,” said pide master Necati Koçak, expressing that everyone who tries the registered flavor loves it. “I have been a pide master for 10 years. We serve to introduce the taste of Bafra pide to our people. We prepare the filling of the pide with roasted lean minced meat mixed with finely chopped raw onions. We stuff this filling into the pide dough, stretching it as thin and long as possible, then bake it in a wood-fired oven until it crisps up and crackles for about 25 minutes. The most important feature of the pide is its thin, long and crispy crust. The flavor is further enhanced with locally made butter,” he said.
“Those who taste the pide really enjoy it. They even send it to their guests abroad. For those who want, we freeze and ship the pide. This way, we send pide both abroad and to other cities. People enjoy this taste with pleasure, regardless if it is morning, noon, evening or night. The dough of the pide rests for one day. After the yeast of 170 grams of dough rises and expands, we roll it out and fill it with the filling. After slowly baking the pide, we spread butter on top and served it to our customers with pleasure,” he added.
“Although I have been in Samsun for seven years, every time I go to a restaurant, I only eat pide,” said Ali Karabenli, expressing his preference for Bafra pide over all other dishes.
“The pide, I can say in one word, is ‘perfect.’ I really like Bafra pide. I heard that Bafra pide was chosen as the best bread in the world. This didn’t surprise me at all. Since I love it so much, I always invite my friends to eat it,” he said.
Ümit Alparslan, visiting from Mersin, couldn’t hide his excitement after trying Bafra pide for the first time. He shared how his friend insisted they visit Samsun just to taste it. Alparslan raved about its crispy crust, delicious minced meat and generous butter topping that made every bite heavenly. Comparing its appearance to fried sugar cane, he couldn’t help but marvel at its sweet taste. Alparslan confidently declared Bafra pide as one of Türkiye’s best dishes, believing it deserves recognition worldwide.
