In a recent post, we referred to lahmacun in Turkey: it was in an article about pide bread, with which it is sometimes confused due to often having a similar shape. However, due to its popularity and flavor, it deserved to be the subject of a text like this, where we discuss the details that will help you recognize it… and enjoy it as it deserves.
Is Lahmacun the ‘Turkish Pizza’?
One of the most common nicknames for lahmacun is ‘Turkish pizza.’ The nickname is easy to understand: its shape resembles a pizza, as it is round, made with a flat base, topped with ingredients all over its surface, and cooked together in the oven. Furthermore, it is often eaten in fast-food restaurants, which are ubiquitous on the country’s streets.
However, lahmacun is neither exclusively ‘fast food’ nor does it share other significant similarities with pizza, beyond those mentioned. Moreover, the moniker ‘Turkish pizza’ is also used for pide, making it a catch-all and reductionist term that obscures other genuine and characteristic features of this dish.
Below, we list the true differences between lahmacun and pizza, which will help you understand what makes this Turkish dish unique.
Difference #1. It doesn’t contain tomato (or not necessarily)
One of the main ingredients of any pizza is tomato, specifically crushed tomato spread completely over the dough, acting as the first layer on which to build the rest of the ingredients. Well, lahmacun does not contain tomato. Or at least, not necessarily as a layer of crushed tomato. Lahmacun can have a combination of various ingredients, and one of them might be tomato slices. But if it doesn’t have it, we can still call it lahmacun.
Difference #2. It doesn’t contain cheese
Another fundamental ingredient of pizza is cheese: basically mozzarella cheese, although others can also be used. But lahmacun usually doesn’t have it: we don’t state this definitively because you never know what innovations each chef might introduce, but in any of the possible classic recipes, it does not include it, in none of its variants.
Difference #3. It cannot do without meat
If we talk about an essential ingredient (besides the bread base), it is meat. In fact, the word lahmacun (which could derive from Arabic) can be translated as “bread with meat.” And it is usually, by the way, minced lamb or beef, and it is often quite seasoned with spices, such as paprika or cumin. For the rest of the ingredients, all kinds of vegetables can be used.
Difference #4. The base is thinner
The base is also not the same for pizzas and lahmacun. The latter’s base is usually thinner, especially when compared to pide bread, which is spongy and substantial. And although there can be cases of crispy bases (especially if given a final touch on the grill), this base is usually soft. This thin and soft texture is precisely what makes the next and final major difference possible, which we show below.
Difference #5. It is not eaten in slices
Pizza is usually served in slices, typically an eighth, although there can be variations in the cut. In contrast, lahmacun is not cut into slices; instead, it is usually rolled up and eaten that way. Therefore, a lahmacun is sized to satisfy one person’s appetite, while pizza is more ‘scalable’: you can order an individual size but also eat it in slices until you are satisfied.
