Tost (Turkish Toasted Cheese Sandwich)

About This Recipe

Tost is Turkey's ubiquitous grilled sandwich, found at nearly every corner buffet and coffee shop, built on white bread pressed and grilled until crackling crisp outside with melted kasar cheese (a mild, semi-hard Turkish cow's milk cheese) inside. The most beloved variation, kasarli sucuklu tost, adds slices of sucuk -- a garlicky, cumin-spiced Turkish beef sausage -- that renders its fat into the bread as it grills. The technique lives entirely in the press: a tost is made in a dedicated tost machine (a clamshell grill) or a heavy pan with a weight on top, which compresses the sandwich as it cooks so the bread turns evenly crisp on both sides while the cheese fully melts and the sucuk releases its spiced fat into the crumb. Butter or margarine spread on the outer sides of the bread before grilling is what gives tost its deep golden color and crunch. Eaten any time of day but especially as a quick breakfast or late-night snack alongside ayran (a salty yogurt drink), tost is Turkey's answer to the grilled cheese sandwich -- simple, fast, and endlessly craveable.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 4 sliceswhite sandwich bread
• 3 tbspbutter(softened)
• 120 gkasar cheese(or mild cheddar, sliced)
• 8 slicessucuk (Turkish sausage)(or substitute salami)
• 1 tspdried oregano(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the sucuk

   In a dry pan over medium heat, lightly cook sucuk slices for 1-2 minutes per side until they release some fat and darken slightly.

2. 2

   Assemble

   Layer cheese and cooked sucuk between two slices of bread, sprinkle with oregano if using.

3. 3

   Butter the outside

   Spread butter generously on the outer sides of both slices of bread.

4. 4

   Grill and press

   Heat a griddle, panini press, or heavy skillet over medium heat. Place the sandwich down and press firmly with a spatula or heavy pan.

5. 5

   Flip

   Cook 3-4 minutes per side, pressing occasionally, until the bread is deeply golden and crisp and the cheese has fully melted.

6. 6

   Serve

   Cut in half diagonally and serve immediately while hot and crisp.

Variations

• •

  Karisik tost: add sliced tomato, pickles, or green pepper for a mixed version.

• •

  Kaşarli tost: skip the sucuk for the simplest, most classic plain cheese version.

• •

  Use pastirma (Turkish cured beef) instead of sucuk for a different, more intensely spiced flavor.

Storage

Best eaten immediately while hot and crisp; tost does not reheat well as the bread turns soggy. Assemble fresh rather than storing leftovers.

Frequently Asked Questions