Turkish Ramazan Pide

In Turkey this year the holy month of Ramazan has fallen during the hottest possible days of  July and August. Believers have had to do without food or water for up to 15 hours a day while enduring daily temperatures in the upper 30s. We who don’t fast can only wonder.

Ramazan pide are round and sprinkled with sesame and nigella seeds-
this one is from the fırın in Küçükkuyu

This fast is broken at sunset when the muezzin calls from the minaret to announce the time for the shared meal called iftar. It is actually quite a celebration and here where we are in our Aegean village, I know that all the neighbouring villages share huge iftar suppers which everybody looks forward to.

As the afternoon light starts to wane, a certain buzz can be felt in the air: things start to perk up. One place it can be felt is at the local fırın or bakery where special Ramazan bread called pide (pron: pee/deh) is baked. In fact, in our local bakery in Ayvacık, it is baked no fewer than 3 times a day! I bought one earlier this evening, it cost 1.25 lira or 44p. My family can’t resist it especially when it is warm and fragrant  so I restrain myself and only buy one. If any of the family are in the car, that’s it, half of it will be gone by the time we get home!

Yesterday in Ayvacık I went in to buy one pide but it was a bit early. I asked if I could see where they were being baked and they said in their usual friendly way Of course! So in I went and was lucky enough to witness the whole process – a real hands-on business, I must say!

this type of pide is called tırnak pidesi meaning nail pide!
ie the indentations are made with fingers!

he's sprinking on the sesame and nigella seeds

Pide is very much part of the Ramazan tradition here in Turkey and is the bread of choice for both iftar and sahur, the early morning breakfast the people eat before daybreak.

in line to be baked