Snapshots from Greece: Koulouri, the Thessaloniki Street Food
Note: Our own Erin Zimmer just returned from ten days eating and drinking her way around Greece and will be sharing her adventures with us all week as Snapshots from Greece. —Ed.
I didn't spot a single hot dog cart in Thessaloniki, but there were a few umbrella-shaded vendors selling koulouri, or biscuit-like rings covered in sesame seeds. They are bagel-shaped, or maybe bagels are koulouri-shaped, considering these date back to the Byzantine era. Unlike bagels, they yield more of a crunch than a chew, along the lines of biscotti.
In Greek, they are known as "κουλούρι," and could probably be classified as somewhere between a cookie and bread with a hint of sweetness. The sesame seeds add a nice nuttiness and, of course, everything is more fun to eat when it's ring-shaped.
Related
Snapshots from Greece: The Modiano Market in Thessaloniki
Snapshots from Greece: Fage Yogurt
Snapshots from Greece: Souvlaki from O Thanasis in Athens
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6 Comments:
Thessaloniki is where my family is from, and I'm so happy that you went there and are featuring it. I think it's nicer than Athens. And now I want a koulouri right now! :-)
athenaki at 4:27PM on 07/15/09
Love those! There is a recipe in Amy Sedaris' cookbook by the way.
MichaelNatkin at 4:42PM on 07/15/09
In Turkey, these are called simit, but they're more chewy than crunchy. FYI
soyviz at 9:42PM on 07/15/09
when I was little my dad would buy me a koulouri almost everyday for breakfast, I remember the aroma that broke through when I would break it and how I first ate all the sesame seeds off the top and then the actual bread.
thanks for featuring!
oriana at 7:08AM on 07/16/09
by the way is that Plateia Aristotelous in the background?
thanks
oriana at 7:09AM on 07/16/09
MichaelNatkin: The recipe from Amy Sedaris is for butter cookies, traditionally baked at Easter, not for the sesame bread rings sold by the street vendors. The names are similar, yes, but the goodies, both delicious, are not.
cookbookchick at 10:10PM on 07/18/09