SIMIT

When a Turk says ' ... give us this day our daily bread ...' I think he or she means the Simit. It is seen everywhere, it is a staple and it is consumed around the clock. Simit is just bread, in the shape of a ring, with a crispy sesame seed crust and soft inside. It is not savory but there is a sugar-coated version which I see at breakfast hours. Most people would just eat it plain. I prefer the toasted version, introduced by my hosts at breakfast along with a thick slab of butter, plain Turkish white cheese, and a few herb-marinated olives. Superb! By the way, it may look like a New York pretzel, especially when sold from a push cart on the street but never say that to a local, I am told, as it would be an insult.  This vendor was selling on a morning ferry that shuttles across the Bosphorus to neighboring islands on the Asia side and he was doing well, almost sold out by the time we disembarked.