Simit with Cheese in Istanbul, Turkey

Simit, or Turkish Bread Ring with Cheese

in Istanbul, Turkey

Sometimes referred to as a "Turkish bagel" or a "sesame bread ring", Simit is a staple of Turkish street food and breakfast culture.

Simit is so quintessential to the Istanbul street food scene that you can hardly walk around a corner anywhere in the city without finding at least one simit cart. Records show that simit has been produced and sold in Istanbul since the 1500s.

simit, a Turkish bread ring baked with sesame seeds and filled with cheese

Simit is soft and chewy on the inside with a crispy crust covered in sesame seeds.

You can eat them plain, as many people do, or you can sometimes find carts selling them with various fillings.

Nutella simit are trendy currently as hazelnut is a very popular Turkish flavor. Cheese-filled simit are also popular. I bought one of these on the street in Istanbul the other day.

The simit was sliced in half like a bagel and smeared with delicious cream cheese. It's a great breakfast.

a street food cart selling Turkish simit in Istanbul

Location

I ate this simit with cheese at the Hagia Sofia complex in Istanbul, but simit carts identical to this one can be found almost literally on every street corner in the city. No matter where you are in Istanbul, you won't have to look far to find simit for sale.

They currently cost around 10 Turkish lira each, which is around $0.30 USD, making it a fantastically cheap, quick, and easy on-the-go snack or breakfast.