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The Simits Take Manhattan (Again)

A simit cart in Istanbul, photo by Yigal Schleifer [1]
Being big fans of simit – the sesame-encrusted bread ring that’s one of Turkey’s most popular street foods – we’ve looked on with delight over the last few years as the humble snack has made its way from Istanbul to the other metropolis with a 212 area code: Manhattan. First, longstanding Istanbul baklava maker Güllüoğlu opened a branch in Midtown East and began selling freshly baked simit [2] under the moniker “Turkish bagel.”

Now, a brand-new establishment with an entirely simit-based menu, Simit + Smith [3], has opened on the Upper West Side, [4] with plans in the works to expand to the Financial District and elsewhere in the city. The eatery offers an array of sandwiches and sweet and savory snack items made with (purists beware!) three different types of simit: original with sesame, whole wheat with sesame or whole grain. Moreover, Simit + Smith seems to be squarely taking aim at the New York bagel market, noting on its website that “Simit have 2/3 the calories and much less fat than bagels or pretzels and contain all natural ingredients with absolutely no sugar.”

The rest of this post can be found on CulinaryBackstreets.com, here [5].

 

 

 

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