Simit
Ring-shaped sesame bread from the former Ottoman Empire.
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Simit is a ring-shaped bread, typically encrusted with sesame seeds, found across the former Ottoman Empire and the Middle East.[1] The word simit comes from Arabic samīd meaning 'white bread, fine flour'.[2] Regional differences affect the crispness, texture, and dimensions of this bread.[1]
Key facts and history
Simit has been produced in Istanbul since 1525.[3] Evliya Çelebi described it as being "as big as a cartwheel"[4] By the mid-17th century, the weight of these round simits decreased and their size approached modern dimensions.[4] Documents from 1776 show that Istanbul kept the trades of bakers and simit makers separate.[4]
The Byzantine Empire is where simit's roots lie, with the names boukellon and kollikion used for it.[5] Constantine VII Porphyrogennitos, in the 9th century, provided the earliest known reference to the kollikion.[5] Standardization of simit's weight and price occurred in Üsküdar during 1593.[3]
What the cited sources add
A tour guide and historian states that the word 'simit' first appeared in Ottoman texts in 1525.[4] The same source notes that simit first appeared in the Ottoman Empire towards the end of the 16th century.[4]
References
- Wikipedia, "Simit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Türkiye ve Yunanistan'ın simit savaşı kızışıyor" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Simit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics", Brill, 2008, p. 262 (entry ); "Simit - Kelime Etimolojisi, Kelimesinin Kökeni", www.etimolojiturkce.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Simit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sahillioğlu, Halil. "Osmanlılarda Narh Müessesesi ve 1525 Yılı Sonunda İstanbul’da Fiyatlar" Belgelerle Türk Tarihi 2 (The Narh Institution in the Ottoman Empir; Ünsal, Artun. Susamlı Halkanın Tılsımı.[The Secret of the Ring with Sesames] İstanbul: YKY, 2010: 45 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- atourguideinconstantinople, "What is Simit? History, Meaning & Origins", Istanbul Tours with a Local Guide, 2026-07-03. facts only, no text reused. atourguideinconstantinople.org
- Wikipedia, "Simit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Koukoules, "Βυζαντινών βίος και πολιτισμός", Papazisis Publishers, 1952, p. 28; Koukoules, "Βυζαντινών βίος και πολιτισμός", Papazisis Publishers, 1952, p. 114–115; Simopoulos, "Street Foods", Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers, 2000, p. 3; Koukoules, "Βυζαντινών βίος και πολιτισμός", Papazisis Publishers, 1952, p. 114–115 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Simit (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Simit (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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