Surmene Pita Product Description and Distinguishing Features: Sürmene Pide has been made in the Sürmene district since the 1940s. The product is prepared by adding local flavors such as village cheese (salty cheese) and butter to the dough, which is manually rolled into a circular shape. The key characteristic of the product is the use of cheese and butter made from the milk of animals fed with herbs harvested from the region's pastures and meadows. Sürmene Pide uses a type of cheese known locally as salty cheese or village cheese. This cheese has a light yellow-red color, and it consists of small and large pieces of matured cheese with the scent of milk. The cheese is a blend of "kolot" and "civil" cheeses. Kolot cheese is obtained from the milk of cows raised in Sürmene, and it is acidified until it becomes elastic at a low temperature. The resulting curd is strained through cheesecloth, and the strained cheese is shaped into a wheel with a rolling pin. Civil cheese, on the other hand, is a small-particle cheese formed by coagulating the milk of cows raised in Sürmene. The butter used in the product is unsalted, yellowish, and has a slightly tangy taste. When melted, it has a transparent and clear appearance.Due to its rich flavor profile, Sürmene Pide is typically consumed with bread. Production Method: Dough Preparation: The dough is made from water, salt, flour, and fresh yeast. Not using sugar in the dough preparation makes the dough more durable and extends the shelf life of the pide. The consistency of the dough, the waiting time for the ready-to-use dough, and the storage conditions while waiting for the dough to be baked are essential for preparing the pide for consumers. The dough is prepared by mixing 50 kg of flour, 500 g of fresh yeast, 600 g of salt, and 30-32 liters of water to create a chewy, easily moldable structure. The dough is prepared to be somewhat solid in warm weather and slightly sticky in cold weather. The kneaded dough is rested for 30-45 minutes, covered, on a wooden dough counter. Each pide is made from 230-250 grams of dough. The dough is shaped by hand without using a rolling pin or roller, opened to a thickness of 3-4 cm in a circular shape, and the edges are folded inward. Filling Preparation: The filling of the pide consists of a mixture of village cheese or salty cheese. The cheese is brined twice. In the first brining, 70 grams of coarse kolot cheese and 30 grams of small-particle civil cheese are mixed for every 100 grams of cheese. 5-7 grams of salt is added to the mixture, and it is left in the sun to sour. Afterward, it is matured by covering it with soil in concrete wells for one month. In the second brining, the cheese prepared in the first brining is soaked in water overnight. This process reduces excess salt, allows the cheese to stick to the dough, and prevents the pide from becoming bitter. 180-230 grams of village cheese (salty cheese), 40-60 grams of butter are added to the dough and baked in a stone oven. The base of the oven is made of stone, and the sides and ceiling are made of heat-resistant bricks without using cement. The oven is fueled by hardwoods such as kızılağaç, pelit, or gürgen, obtained from trees that do not explode. The temperature is not uniform everywhere, so the pide is turned and baked for 10-15 minutes. After baking, the edges are crispy, while the middle is slightly softer.