A Comprehensive Review on Simit, A Turkish Traditional Food

Abstract

Simit has an important place in the Turkish gastronomic culture. Simit, whose roots in Anatolia go back to the 14th century, strongly maintains its existence even in the smallest of places today. Contrary to many traditional foods that are on the verge of disappearance due to advancing technology and intertwined multicultural lives, simit is a noteworthy traditional product that gradually consolidates its existence both domestically and internationally. This study aims to comprehensively review and collate existing studies on simit, a topic that has received inadequate attention in the literature, and to provide a framework for future research. In this context, the definition, recipe and general specifications of simit were first explained, then. Thereafter, its historical significance was determined through the examination of historical documents pertaining to simit. The production process of simit was examined in-depth, and existing literature on various simit types was compiled. The study further explores the role of simit, which holds a prominent place in Turkish society's consumption habits, in nutrition and addresses its impact on community health based on existing data. However, owing to the limited availability of scientific documents on simit in the literature, some information was gathered from nonscientific open sources, which posed a significant limitation. The study concluded that there is a need for comprehensive scientific investigations that encompass an analytical examination of the production process of simit, its standardization, the implications of its consumption habits on nutrition and health, and an exploration of various simit types.