Gaziantep cuisine is remembered for its kebabs and baklava, yet at the base of the city's everyday table lie börek and bread. Neighbourhood ovens, stone-floored wood-fired ovens and the master-apprentice tradition turn dough into a cheese-and-herb börek one moment and a fingernail-marked pide the next. A large part of this variety is protected by geographical indication — indeed, Türkiye's first registration in the bread category came from here.
On this page we have gathered Gaziantep's börek and bread varieties under two headings: filled böreks and the stone oven's signature breads. You can follow through to each one's own page to read its history, what it is made of and its cultural background.
Böreks
Dough dishes where leavened dough meets fillings of cheese, herbs, olives, rice or sugar — baked or fried; some savoury, some sweet-savoury.
Leavened dough filled with fresh cheese, parsley, garlic and spring onion, then baked - a savory Antep pastry.
Brined green olives, lean lamb mince and walnut folded into crescent dough and baked over a wood fire.
Thin dough filled with rice and lamb mince, folded into a crescent and fried golden and crisp.
Unsalted fresh cheese, sugar and egg filling wrapped in leavened dough and baked - a GI-registered Antep börek with a sweet-savoury balance.
Breads
Baked in stone-floored ovens, mostly over wood fire; plain breads that form the base of the city's table. All are vegetarian breads made of flour, water, yeast and salt.
Thin flatbread of flour, water, yeast and salt, marked with fingertip nail prints and baked in a stone oven.
Plain Antep bread baked at high heat on a wood-fired stone floor, doming up then flattening.
Leavened dough rolled flat, topped with plenty of sesame and baked in a stone oven - a local Antep bread.
All three breads on this page (tırnaklı pide, kübban, küncülü) , the vegetable cheese pastry and the sweet cheese pastry are vegetarian. The green olive pastry and the rice pastry, however, contain lamb mince and are not vegetarian; this is stated clearly on their pages so visitors are not misled.
Stone Oven and Neighbourhood Bakery Culture
In Gaziantep, bread and börek are tied to stone-floored ovens and neighbourhood bakery culture. These ovens are run as small family businesses by experienced masters; bread is made to order, fresh and hot. The Hamurkâr–Tapçı–Tırnakçı–Pişirici division of labour in tırnaklı pide is a living example of this tradition, in which dough becomes a craft. To see the city's cuisine beyond its breads and böreks all in one place, visit the Gastronomy page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Gaziantep's börek and bread varieties?
This page lists four böreks (vegetable cheese pastry, sweet cheese pastry, green olive pastry, rice pastry) and three breads (Antep tırnaklı pide, kübban bread, sesame küncülü bread) under two headings. You can read each one's history and ingredients on its detailed page.
Which of these böreks and breads are vegetarian?
All three breads, the vegetable cheese pastry and the sweet cheese pastry are vegetarian. The green olive pastry and the rice pastry are not vegetarian, as they contain lamb mince.
Why is Antep tırnaklı pide important?
It is the first product registered by TÜRKPATENT as a geographical indication in the bread category in Türkiye; kübban bread is the second registration in this category.
Which of these products have a geographical indication?
Vegetable cheese börek, sweet cheese pastry, green olive pastry, rice pastry, Antep tırnaklı pide and kübban bread are TÜRKPATENT-registered. Küncülü bread is unregistered but a deep-rooted regional bread.
Why is tırnaklı pide called "nail-marked"?
Before baking, the dough is pressed with the fingertips to leave "nail" marks on its surface; this is to distribute heat evenly and bake the bread in a balanced way.