Koulouri

Koulouri is a Greek ring of bread coated in sesame seeds, eaten as a quick breakfast or snack. It is sold from street carts and small bakeries, and in Thessaloniki it is best known as Koulouri Thessalonikis. Most people buy one on the way to work or school and eat it standing up, which is how it fits into everyday Greek life.

What it really is

Koulouri is made from a simple yeasted dough of wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. The dough is shaped into a rope, joined into a ring, brushed with water so the seeds stick, pressed into sesame and baked until the crust is firm and golden. The result is crisp on the outside and soft and light inside, with a nutty taste from the sesame. The shape and the seed coat are the parts that define it.

Koulouri is bread, not a pastry. The classic dough has no butter or milk. Some bakeries now add oil or fillings, so the plain bread is the version to describe on a menu. Bakers differ on how thick the crust is and how many seeds they use.

How it's served

• Warm from the oven or at room temperature, bought whole and eaten by hand.
• Plain, or split and filled with a simple filling such as cheese or tomato, if the bakery offers one.
• With a coffee or a glass of water, as a breakfast or mid-morning snack.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it plainly as a sesame bread ring, and add Koulouri Thessalonikis if guests may know it by that name.
• Flag sesame and wheat, since both are in the classic dough and coating.
• Say whether it is served plain or filled. Cheese and other dairy fillings bring milk into the dish and must be flagged separately.
• The classic version is vegan, so guests who avoid animal products can order it plain.