Simit, a Turkish national food

Simit is one of the most widely consumed food products in Turkey. Foreigners now know it as the national food of Turks. It sometimes serves as breakfast and even lunch for both the rich and the poor. That is why simit sales, instead of dropping during an economic crisis, increase. Economic problems in Turkey have not caused the sale of simit and accompanying cups of tea to decrease.

The early hours of the morning in Eminönü provide a glimpse of how much simit we consume and the place it holds in our lives. Speed walkers rushing to work and students walking to school slow down only when they come across a red cart filled with simit. Some people have it wrapped; others take one in their hands and start eating it right away. Everyone is eating simit, so why shouldn’t we? We got in line and the smell of freshly roasted sesame made us hungry. To sate our appetites, we approached the simit vendor and bought two simits as well as a triangular piece of cheese. While enjoying the simits, we started to converse with the simit vendor.

“How’s business? How much simit do you sell per day? When is the busiest time of the day?” we asked. The simit vendor was so busy with customers that he did not have to say much to answer our questions. With a slight smile, he turned to us and said: “Both the beggar you see on the corner of the streets fills his stomach with the simit I sell and the workers at the firm across the streets who buy my simit to enjoy with a cup of tea. My simit cart is a breakfast stop in the morning, a cheap restaurant for those who get hungry during lunchtime. As you can see, the crisis has not affected simit or tea sales.”

According to the simit vendor, 500 pieces of simit are sold on average each day from one simit cart. If that much simit is sold from a small cart, then it is hard to calculate how much simit is sold across the country. So we decided to speak with Simit Sarayı General Manager Aykut Okutur, who institutionalized the simit business. According to Okutur, 2.5 million pieces of simit are sold on an average day in Turkey. Of that figure, 1 million is consumed in İstanbul, with 60 percent of it distributed on the European side and the remaining 40 percent on the Anatolian side. He also underlined that Simit Sarayı, a café-restaurant that specializes in simit, only comprises 10 percent of the 1 million pieces of simit sold in İstanbul while simit sellers on the streets make up for more than half of the figure.

The cheapest meal of the crisis: simit and tea

Simit, chosen as Turkey’s national food for 2010, when İstanbul serves as a European Capital of Culture, also varies in terms of price. As a preferred meal for those who have been affected by the crisis, the price of simit and a cup of tea differs from place to place. While a simit costs Kr 75 at food chains such as Simit Sarayı and Simit Dünyası, simit vendors sell it for Kr 50. The price of simit also varies by province. In Ankara the price of one simit is Kr 50, but carts affiliated with the metropolitan municipality also sell them “four for TL 1.” The price of a cup of tea, often purchased with simit, varies from Kr 75 to TL 1. Most simit sales occur between 6 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Simit holds an important place in the lives of celebrities as well. When recalling his memories of selling simit as a child, pop singer Serdar Ortaç said: “I would be happy if I could spend the money I made, but my dad would take the money from me and say, ‘The money from selling two simits is yours, the money from selling 12 simits goes to the company’ -- even though there was no company. But my dad’s practice of making me sell simit taught me how to live life.”

Noting that she loves Ankara simit, author Elif Şafak noted that Ankara simit is different. “Those who know Ankara simit know what I am talking about. It is more crispy and better. I went to school at Middle East Technical University [ODTÜ]. Back then, simit and tea was an essential part of our life. Simit always accompanied intense philosophical conversations and book debates. I discovered another attribute of simit in İstanbul: that it was useful in feeding seagulls. Also, whenever I am abroad, I always miss simit and feta cheese. Therefore, simit calls to mind philosophy, seagulls and homesickness. For me, simit is a mixture of all these,” she said.