Poğaça is a type of Turkish bun that originated in the Balkans and can now be commonly found in Turkish breakfasts. In some circumstances, you may hear people calling Poğaça “the Turkish breakfast roll”.
As it is very easy to bake and can have different variations, many Turkish families bake this bun at home and serve it as a part of their breakfast or as a quick snack. Therefore, each Turkish family may have their own recipe for poğaça, secret ingredients of filling and other family traditions associated with its baking process. Nowadays, poğaça can be commonly found in Turkish bakeries and street carts where people buy them on their way to work as a quick breakfast.
There are many variations to the shapes and ingredients of poğaça; it can be a bun-like round shape, or slightly oval. It can be filled with savoury fillings like cheese, minced meat, potato or basically served plain. There are no rules on what to use as filling in a poğaça but the rule of thumb is that the dough should be oily or buttery and the texture should be flaky.
Common types of poğaça
Peynirli Poğaça (Poğaça with cheese filling)
There are a couple types of poğaça that can be typically found in Turkish bakeries, and one of them is Peynirli Poğaça. Peynirli Poğaça is filled with white cheese, which is similar to feta, and herbs like parsley and dill, making it flavoursome and colourful at the same time. The filling of poğaça is creamy, soft and delicious while the bun itself is flaky.
Another version of Peynirli Poğaça calls for the cheese and herbs to be directly mixed into the dough instead of used as a filling. This type of poğaça is then rolled in a smaller sphere and baked. The result is a crumbly and delicious cheesy parcel.
Sucuklu Poğaça (Poğaça filled with Turkish sausage)
This version of poğaça is one filled with a Turkish dried sausage called“sucuk”. This sausage is made by combining ground beef, lamb meat and spices. It can be usually found in Turkish food like“pide”and poğaça, giving them a nice hint of spice.
In addition to these two, there are many more versions of poğaça. It is a very versatile bun that can be served warm or cold, whether you buy it from your favourite bakery or use your own secret recipe and ingredients for it. When it comes to creativity in variations, Turkish cuisine never disappoints. It is up to you and me to explore and experience the possibilities of Anatolian cuisine.
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