Making simit takes three steps. First, the dough is rolled into long ropes and twisted into a ring. Then the rings are dipped in a sweet, sticky syrup called molasses (made from grape juice). Finally, they are rolled in a giant tray of sesame seeds, until the whole ring is covered. Then into the hot oven they go.
When the simit comes out, the syrup has baked into a thin shiny crust and the sesame seeds are golden and toasted. The smell of fresh simit baking in the morning is one of the best smells in any Turkish city.
Simit is sold by street sellers from bright red carts, often with a glass case to keep the rings warm. Each ring is about as big as your hand and costs only a few coins. Many Turkish children buy one on the way to school, snapping it in half to share with a friend.
It is also a classic part of a Turkish breakfast. People tear off pieces and eat them with cheese, olives, tomatoes, jam, or a sweet milk drink called sahlep. Simit is one of those foods that almost everyone in the country has eaten that very morning.