Food & drink
Simit
A sesame-crusted bread ring sold from street carts in every city.
The Turkish name
Simit
Recording on its way.
The story
Simit is a ring of bread dipped in grape molasses and water, rolled in sesame seeds and baked crisp. It is sold from red street carts and from vendors carrying trays on their heads, and often eaten with tea and white cheese.
İstanbul bakers have made simit for centuries; the city's bakers' guilds are recorded in Ottoman documents. Sizes and thickness vary from city to city, with İzmir calling its version gevrek.
At a glance
- Also called
- Gevrek, in İzmir
- Eaten with
- Tea, white cheese, tomatoes