The Turkish street-food snack of sesame-crusted circular bread often eaten for breakfast is simit.
Simit is a ring-shaped bread with a crisp, sesame-covered exterior and a lighter, chewy interior. Before baking, the dough is traditionally dipped in pekmez, a grape molasses mixture, which helps the sesame seeds adhere and contributes color and flavor.
Simit has been associated with Istanbul for centuries and is sold by street vendors, bakeries, and carts. It is commonly eaten plain or with cheese, olives, tomatoes, tea, or other breakfast foods. Texture and size vary across Turkey and neighboring countries.
Simit is sometimes compared with a bagel because both are ring-shaped breads. The comparison is useful only as a rough visual guide: simit typically has a thinner, crispier crust and a sesame coating rather than the bagel’s usual boiled dough texture. Its street-vending culture is an important part of its identity.