Cairo vendors sell these bread rings covered with sesame seeds from large baskets, or sometimes threaded onto long wooden poles. They often sell them with zaatar (page 47) or do’a (page 55) to dip in. In summer, they cry their wares at the entrances of open-air cinemas, or carry them round the tables and across the rows of chairs, chanting “Semit! Semit!” The audience eagerly collect provisions to last them through the performance: rings of semit, cheese, salted grilled melon seeds or leb, peanuts, and Coca-Colas. They while away the time as they wait for darkness to fall and the film to start by eating and chatting; or they watch the children running up and down the aisles, and dancing on the cinema stage to popular Arab and Greek tunes. (We danced when we were children.)
Ingredients
Preparation
You can make excellent semit at home. Make an ordinary bread dough. After its first rising, knead and divide the dough in 2. Roll each piece backwards and forwards between the palms of your hands until the dough forms a long, fat, evenly thick rope about 22 inches long. Place both ropes on oiled baking sheets in the form of rings, pinching the ends and sticking them together. Cover the breads with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 20–30 minutes. Brush them with an egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water, and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F, and bake for a further 15–20 minutes, or until the rings are golden and sound hollow when tapped.
