Pide, lahmacun and iskender — Turkish specialties in Bratislava

Kebab is the gateway to Turkish cuisine — but it's not the whole cuisine. Three classics we prepare with equal care at Papa Turkish: pide, lahmacun and iskender.

Pide — Turkish "pizza" with a soul

First impression: pide looks like a boat-shaped pizza. Second impression: it's not pizza at all. The dough is thicker, fresher, baked in a traditional stone oven. No tomato sauce — instead kaşar cheese, minced meat, egg, vegetables.

We bake three variants:

• Kyma pide — with minced veal, onion, pepper
• Kaşarlı pide — cheese only (vegetarian)
• Kıymalı yumurtalı pide — meat and egg, an Istanbul classic

Pide is eaten with hands, not cutlery.

Lahmacun — thin flatbread with meat

Lahmacun is a completely different category. Very thin, round flatbread (30 cm) with a thin layer of minced meat, tomato, onion, spices. Baked for a minute in the oven.

How you eat it: squeeze lemon, scatter salad, roll it up — then eat it as a long tube. Often paired with ayran.

At Papa Turkish lahmacun is a lunch option. Around €4.80.

Iskender — the Bursa classic

Iskender is the most "restaurant" dish on our menu. Named after Iskender Efendi of Bursa, who in the 19th century invented the way of serving kebab with tomato sauce and yoghurt.

How it looks: thin slices of veal kebab laid on pieces of pide bread, covered with tomato sauce. On the side — strained yoghurt. As the final touch — hot butter, which the server pours right at your table.

We serve iskender daily at Nivy and Hodiny, weekends elsewhere.

Where to order which specialty

• Pide — at all five branches, daily
• Lahmacun — at all five branches
• Iskender — Nivy and Hodiny (daily), others weekends

Tips for a first taste

If you're trying all three, the order:

1. Lahmacun — the lightest dish
2. Pide — medium strength
3. Iskender — the crown of the meal

Nivy is the best place to start — we have all three daily.

See also classic forms of kebab.