Hocapasa Pidecisi is a halal restaurant.
The sausage is made from beef.
There is no pepperoni, which is good because Pide really isn't simply Turkish Pizza.
The Pastirmali is my favorite, Turkish-style Pastrami. It tastes as good on pide crust out of a stone oven as it tasts on challah with mustard on a sandwich.
Most pides are 20 Turkish Lira or less. That's less than six bucks at the current exchange rate.
They are big enough to split during lunch. They come with pickles and peppers on the side.
The simple, basis Kasarli pides, a mild white and yellow cheese -- is very easy on the belly, say if you took in a little too much tobacco at the nargile (water bubble pipe) cafe.
The Kapali Pides -- available with special roasted or minced meats and in other varieties -- are, I guess to further bastardize a dish that is NOT Italian -- similar to a calzone or stromboli but without the grease and tomato sauce.
They are closed and maybe even more buttery (or is it fine olive oil) than the open-faced kind.
Kapali is an easy Turkish word to learn. It simply means covered.
The Grand Bazaar's real name is Kapalicarsi = covered market.
I ended up visiting five times during a two-week visit.
The last two times I left with a huge serving of special, homemade tahini helva.
It made me feel like family.
It made me feel warm and loved in a place very far from home.
It reinforced my lifelong respect for the Turkish approach to hospitality and the Muslim tradition of caring for visitors like family.
www.hocapasa.com.tr
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