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Çarşamba pidesi is a Turkish savory pie from Çarşamba district in Samsun, Turkey. Unlike the crispy Bafra pidesi, it is known for its soft texture. This pide is shaped into a long, thin loaf, about 75-80 cm (30-32") in length and 4-5 cm wide (2"), and weighs around 200-220 grams (7 oz).
It is made with a dough leavened with sourdough and with a raw filling consisting of minced beef and onions that have been squeezed of its juice, pepper, and salt. After baking in a wood-fired oven, butter is spread on the hot pide to enhance its flavor.
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Translated as honey pie, this light Greek dessert is traditionally associated with the island of Sifnos, but its varieties can be found in other Greek regions as well. The pie combines fresh cheese, preferably mizithra based on sheep or goat milk, eggs, and honey, and it is usually baked as a round, crustless cake.
It is recommended to garnish melopita with a sprinkle of cinnamon and an additional drizzle of honey.
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This simple cheese bread known as khachapuri is the most famous dish in Georgia. It is traditionally topped with melted cheese, eggs and butter. There are different types of khachapuri, and even though some new cheese varieties such as mozzarella and feta have been incorporated in the dish, the most common additions still include traditional Georgian Sulguni or Imeretian cheese.
It is shaped into different forms, and depending on the baking procedure and its form, it can be consumed individually or shared. Two of the most common varieties include the Imeretian khachapuri, shaped into a circular form, and Adjaran khachapuri, the open-faced version topped with butter and a raw egg on top.
VARIATIONS OF Khachapuri
MOST ICONIC Khachapuri
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Kljukuša is a traditional Bosnian dish dating back to the Ottoman Empire. In its basic form, this pie-like dish is made merely with flour, salt, and water, while the filling consists of grated potatoes and eggs, and sometimes also garlic, sour cream, or milk.
The mixture is traditionally baked in round pans, and should not be too thick. When baked, kljukuša is either cut into slices or torn by hands into bite-sized pieces (ćopana or istrgana kljukuša) that are then coated in various combinations of fat, butter, sour or clotted cream, cheese, or milk.
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This khachapuri variety hails from Guria, a province in the west of Georgia. Unlike other khachapuri pies, this one is crescent-shaped and it's prepared for Orthodox Christmas. The dough is filled with a combination of grated Imeruli cheese and hard-boiled eggs before it's baked until golden-brown.
The shape of this pie was associated with celestial bodies, and for ancient Gurians it was a symbol of strength, so nowadays there is a superstitious belief that each family member should get at least one Gurian khachapuri during the festive Christmas season.
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Sfiha, or lahm bil ajĩn (lit. meat on dough) is an Arabic specialty that dates back to the 15th century, when it first appeared in today's Eastern Lebanon. The traditional open-faced meat pie is popular throughout the Arab region, its main ingredients usually including minced lamb (or lamb), chopped onions and tomatoes, spices, olive oil, and yogurt.
Originally, the dish was prepared by stuffing ground lamb and spices in brined grape leaves, but it evolved over time. Sfiha is also popular in Brazil and Argentina, where it was brought over by Levantine immigrants. It is usually consumed hot as a snack, accompanied by tahini sauce or a bowl of yogurt, while pomegranate seeds, coriander, or chopped cucumbers are often used as garnishes.
VARIATIONS OF Sfiha
MOST ICONIC Sfiha
View morePastilla is a stuffed pastry from Morocco, also known as b'stilla or bastilla. The rich, sweet and savory pie is filled with an unusual mix of pigeon or chicken meat, eggs, almonds, and cinnamon. It is commonly prepared for special events such as holidays, weddings, or parties.
The name stems from the Spanish word for pastry – pastilla. It is a time-consuming dish, but well worth the effort, as the end result is an incredibly flavorful, crispy warqa pastry, concealing savory meat and spices such as saffron, nutmeg, and ginger, topped with fried almonds and a dash of powdered sugar and cinnamon.
MOST ICONIC Pastilla
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Chile's favorite home-cooked meal, the soft and creamy pastel de choclo is a casserole-like pie that is also popular in Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. It consists of ground beef, chicken, black olives, onions, hard-boiled eggs, and dough made from fresh grinded corn called choclo.
Corn plays a key role in the dish, and unsurprisingly so – it was worshipped by the ancient Incas whose most important god was the Corn God. Corn was so important to Incas that their chief, believed to be a descendant of the gods, planted the first corn seeds every year.
MOST ICONIC Pastel de choclo
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One of the most popular khachapuri varieties, adjarian is an open-faced pie that is filled with a combination of cheese and eggs. The base is made from yeasted dough that is rolled into an oblong shape and traditionally comes filled with Sulguni or Imeretian cheese, or the combination of both.
The dish is finished off with an egg that is placed on top, and the pie is then additionally baked until the egg is partially set. This boat-shaped pie hails from the coastal Adjaria region, and it is usually served with a slice of butter on top.
MOST ICONIC Ajaruli khachapuri
View moreSamsun pidesi, from Turkey's Samsun Province, encompasses three distinct varieties: Bafra pidesi, Terme pidesi, and Çarşamba pidesi. Terme pidesi is an open-faced pie made with a dough of flour, water, salt, yeast, and sugar. It's topped with meats, cheeses, or pastırma and can include a whole egg placed atop the filling.
It's about 70-80 cm (28-32") long and 15 cm (6") wide. Bafra pidesi is canoe-shaped, about 1 meter (3.2 ft) long and 2.5 cm (1") wide. The dough is made with flour, water, yeast, and salt, and the pie is filled with pre-cooked ground beef, onions, and spices, then baked and topped with small chunks of butter. Çarşamba pidesi is a soft, long loaf, about 75-80 cm (30-32") long and 4-5 cm (2") wide.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 Pies in the World” list until March 20, 2025, 12,971 ratings were recorded, of which 8,062 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.