Covrigi

Covrigi is a Romanian baked ring of dough, a pretzel-like snack sold warm from carts and bakeries. It is eaten quickly, often on the way to work or school, and it is usually sprinkled with salt, sesame or poppy seeds. Its shape and salty crust bring the pretzel to mind, but the dough is a plain yeasted bread dough.

What it really is

Covrigi is made from a yeasted wheat dough of flour, water, salt and yeast, with sesame seed in the dough or on top. The dough is rolled into a rope, joined or twisted into a ring, and baked until the outside is golden and dry. It is baked rather than boiled. The crust is light and crisp, and the inside is soft and mild, which makes it an easy snack to eat warm.

Covrigi is a snack bread, not a pastry, and it is not sweet. Salt is the most common topping, while sesame and poppy seeds are added by some bakers. Recipes differ on whether fat is added to the dough, so a menu should not describe it by a dietary label until the bakery confirms the recipe.

How it's served

• Warm, from a cart or a paper bag, eaten by hand.
• Plain, or topped with salt, sesame or poppy seeds.
• With a glass of tea or a coffee, as a quick breakfast or snack.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it as a baked wheat ring, and state the topping: salt, sesame or poppy seed.
• Flag wheat, and sesame where the seeds are used. Both must be declared.
• Ask the bakery whether the dough contains butter, lard or milk, since recipes differ. Until you know, do not describe it as vegan.
• Say that the snack is best eaten warm, on the day it is baked.