Tahini roll
A sweet roll popular across the Levant, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey.
A sweet pastry found across the Eastern Mediterranean, the tahini roll is a staple in the cuisines of the Levant, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. Its popularity often peaks during specific religious periods, such as Lent in Cyprus and Greece, and the month of Ramadan in Turkey, where it is eaten during suhur.
The dough, made with sugar and oil, has a texture between bread and a cookie and is leavened with yeast. It is rolled flat, spread with a mixture of tahini, sugar, and cinnamon, then rolled into a log. The log is sliced into pieces, flattened into circles, and baked, sometimes after only one rise. Occasionally, the finished pastry is soaked in a syrup of sugar or honey and flavored with cinnamon.
In Armenian cuisine, these rolls are called *tahinov hatz* (Թահինով հաց), meaning "tahini bread." Armenians migrating to the Levant helped spread the dessert there. In Greece and Cyprus, the roll is known as *tahinopita* (ταχινόπιττα) or *tasinopita*, with the Cypriot Greek pronunciation using a "sh" sound. In Arab countries, it is called *khubz tahini* (خبز الطحينة). The Turkish term is *tahinli çörek*, though in Cypriot Turkish it is simply *tahınlı* or *tahınnı*, and sometimes *ekmek tahinli*. The word *çörek* refers to a variety of sweet buns and breads. In Cyprus, street vendors with carts or bikes, as well as bakeries, sell these rolls, which are sometimes compared to cinnamon rolls.
Quick Facts
- Region
- Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Levant
- Main Ingredient
- Dough, tahini, sugar, cinnamon
- No Commons
- true
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In Armenian cuisine, tahini rolls are called tahinov hatz, made with a soft dough of flour, water, yeast, sugar and butter, filled with tahini mixed with sugar and cinnamon. Armenians migrating to the Levant popularized the dessert there. In Cyprus and Greece, the tahini roll is known as tahinopita and is sometimes likened to cinnamon rolls; it is popular as street food in Nicosia, sold by vendors with carts or bikes and in bakeries, especially during Lent. In Turkey, tahini rolls are most popular during the month of Ramadan, consumed on suhur (the pre-dawn meal).
Reader's Guide
The tahini roll holds significance as a sweet pastry that bridges multiple culinary traditions across the Eastern Mediterranean. Its dough includes sugar and oil, with a texture between bread and a cookie, leavened with yeast. The rolls are made by rolling the dough flat, spreading it with a tahini mixture, sprinkling with sugar, and rolling into a log shape, then slicing and flattening into circles. Sometimes the pastry may be soaked in syrup of sugar or honey and flavored with cinnamon. The Armenian name translates to 'tahini bread,' while in Greek it is tahinopita, and in Arabic khubz tahini. In Turkish, the general term is tahinli çörek, with çörek referring to a variety of sweet buns and breads. Its legacy is tied to its role in religious fasting periods and festive meals, as well as its adaptation by Armenian migrants in the Levant.
Did You Know?
- Tahini rolls are known as tahinov hatz in Armenian cuisine.
- In Turkey, tahini rolls are most popular during Ramadan and are consumed on suhur.
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