Terme Pidesi

Terme pidesi is the open-faced pide of Terme, a district of Samsun on Turkey's Black Sea coast, and the odd one out among the region's pides: where the neighbouring Bafra and Çarşamba versions are rolled closed into long sealed logs, Terme's is left open, a thin boat of dough with raised edges and the topping fully exposed, baked in a wood-fired oven until the base is crisp and the edges blister. Samsun is Turkey's pide province and the three towns argue over whose is best, with Terme's case resting on the contrast between its thin, crisp floor and the generous, visible topping. The standard toppings are kıymalı with spiced minced beef, kuşbaşılı with hand-cut cubes of meat, kaşarlı with melted kaşar cheese, and the combination of pastırma and cheese; an egg cracked onto the pide for the last minute of baking is common, and the finished pide is brushed with butter and cut into strips.