I started out thinking I’d be writing about Mayfair and next-to-it Fordsburg, about the Turkish places I knew and am revisiting, especially. Then I realised my Turkish breakfast place that was in Braamfontein has moved to Greenside. Oh and while there, I thought I’d visit a newish place that opened just before Covid, in the Emmarentia part of Greenside, to check out their pide bread, something of a favourite of mine. I’ve even made it, rather desperately, at times.
Pide is a boat-shaped piece of olive-oily flatbread dough. The inside of the boat is typically filled with ground lamb mixed with fried onion and garlic, green pepper bits, tomato bits, cumin, paprika and Turkish pepper, sometimes an egg on the surface. The pastry is brushed with olive oil again before cooking, so it has a special shine and texture after baking. It’s really pronounced