Thin-crust pide with spicy lamb topping

When I say thin-crust pizza is Italy’s answer to lahmacun (pronounced "lah-mahjun"), I’m not trying to start a fight. The idea of putting spiced mince on a disc of dough would have occurred to human beings long before there were nations called Italy or Turkey – or for that matter Armenia, Greece or Syria – all of whom have claimed to be the originators of this addictive pastry. What we do know is that nowadays lahmacun is a specialty of the town of Şanlıurfa, in southeastern Turkey, where they pride themselves on the crispness of their bases.

Lahmacun should not be confused with the heavier kıymalı pide, well known in and out of Turkey for the thickness of its dough and the coarseness of its meat topping. For lahmacun, you need a light touch.

In Şanlıurfa, they turn out hundreds of lahmacuns every lunchtime from big stone ovens. The best way to get the same effect at home is to use a pizza stone or an unglazed terracotta tile, and to ensure your oven is preheated to the max.