When my son Isaac returned from five months in Istanbul, and began working at The Bakery, he was happy to find that he was able to speak Turkish to some of our customers. It turns out that there are quite a few Turkish students at SUNY New Paltz and they like The Bakery. I asked him what the most popular bakery food in Turkey was and he said Simit.
Simit is something like a bagel but softer inside, a little sweet, and covered in sesame seeds. It's sold by street vendors all over Turkey. It was easy to find recipes on the internet and even You Tube videos showing how to make it (I love watching professional bakers smoking cigarettes while they bake). When Turkish people living abroad are asked what food they miss most they often say Simit.
We started making Simit and found that it sells out every day. It's great plain or with any of our homemade cream cheese spreads. The Turkish students love it and feel welcome in New Paltz and our American customers are happy to try something new.
UPDATE: A new group of SUNY New Paltz students arrived here from Brazil. Come try our latest international treat Pastel de Nata! an egg custard tart popular in Portugal and Brazil.