Simit is a type of bagel that has a magical power that everyone love it; from rich business men to broke students. Traditionally it is standard bread-dough shaped as a circle, boiled in hot water with a little pekmez (Grape molasses) for a few seconds and then covered with sesames and finally fried in stone owens. It smells great, a taste of heaven... You can have your simit without anything or you can dip it into your hot tea... But perfect the combination of the simit is with Ayran...
Ayran is very
traditional drink made of yogurt, cold water and little bit of salt (if you like).
In Anatolia, for good ayran, generally sour yogurt is used and a yogurt + water
combination is put in a wooden churn and then depending on the region, shakes
or beats them all together and is then drunk cold. It is always preferred along
with meals, especially hot ones...
In Turkey, eating
simit along with drinking Ayran can be counted as local meal mostly as lunch. It is delicious,
nutritional, healthy, cheap and easy to reach. Unfortunately, not all
street-sellers simits’ are as tasty as stone-oven ones but during your stay,
you should taste it as it is warm, crunchy. Professional simit lovers like it a
little burned.
