Jan 30
Wednesday
The Simits Take Manhattan (Again)
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 under the moniker “Turkish bagel.”
Now, a brand-new establishment with an entirely simit-based menu, Simit + Smith, has opened on the Upper West Side, 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.
In case you didn’t know, Istanbul Eats now lives over at Culinary Backstreets. Same great culinary walks, same great culinary writing. You’ll be redirected there in a few seconds!
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no responses - Posted 04.09.18
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
All entries filed under this archive
Sesame Ring Circus
no responses - Posted 09.17.10
We've previously sung the praises of the humble but mighty simit, naming it one of our "Top 5" street foods and marveling at its ability to take on the bagel on its home turf. It looks like Istanbul municipal officials have gotten wise to the bread ring's rise. Yesterday marked the ...continue
no responses - Posted 09.17.10
We've previously sung the praises of the humble but mighty simit, naming it one of our "Top 5" street foods and marveling at its ability to take on the bagel on its home turf. It looks like Istanbul municipal officials have gotten wise to the bread ring's rise. Yesterday marked the ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Street Foods: #2 – Çıtır Simit Bakery
9 responses - Posted 12.03.09
Editor's note: While name of this bakery has recently been changed to Galata Simitçisi, nothing else has changed: the same usta is still baking the same crispy, fresh simit. Let’s hear it for the (deceptively simple) simit. With only a few ingredients to its name, this sesame-encrusted bread ring has gone ...continue
9 responses - Posted 12.03.09
Editor's note: While name of this bakery has recently been changed to Galata Simitçisi, nothing else has changed: the same usta is still baking the same crispy, fresh simit. Let’s hear it for the (deceptively simple) simit. With only a few ingredients to its name, this sesame-encrusted bread ring has gone ...continue
The Simit Has Landed, Pt. II
no responses - Posted 11.23.09
The November 25 New York Times has a quick review of the new Upper East Side Manhattan branch of Güllüoğlu, an Istanbul baklava maker (not to be confused, as we initially did, with the legendary Istanbul baklava house also called Güllüoğlu). We recently linked to a New York magazine item about ...continue
no responses - Posted 11.23.09
The November 25 New York Times has a quick review of the new Upper East Side Manhattan branch of Güllüoğlu, an Istanbul baklava maker (not to be confused, as we initially did, with the legendary Istanbul baklava house also called Güllüoğlu). We recently linked to a New York magazine item about ...continue
The Simit Has Landed
6 responses - Posted 10.29.09
New York magazine reports two potentially earthshaking pieces of news. First: Istanbul baklava maker Güllüoğlu has opened up a branch on the east side of Manhattan. Two: they are serving freshly baked simits ("looking a little like the secret love child of the bagel and the street pretzel," as the ...continue
6 responses - Posted 10.29.09
New York magazine reports two potentially earthshaking pieces of news. First: Istanbul baklava maker Güllüoğlu has opened up a branch on the east side of Manhattan. Two: they are serving freshly baked simits ("looking a little like the secret love child of the bagel and the street pretzel," as the ...continue
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