Turkish simit wins a place in Oxford English Dictionary

The Turkish word “simit” has entered the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), prompting celebrations on social media as well as calls for a new emoji to represent the circular-shaped bread. 

The OED, in its October update, defined simit as “a type of ring-shaped bread roll originating in Turkey, typically coated with molasses and encrusted with sesame seeds before baking”. 

Typically encrusted with sesame seeds and known as Turkish bagel, simit is a breakfast staple in Turkey.

It is often paired with olives, cheese and tea. 

Vedat Milor, a prominent food critic in Turkey, said simit’s OED listing was “good for the nation”. 

Vatana millete hayırlı olsun! Oxford English Dictionary “simit” kelimesini Türkiye menşeli pekmeze bulanmış, susamla kaplı bir tür ekmek olarak tanımlamış ve sözlüğe eklemiş.https://t.co/3QbwwRDKq0

— Vedat Milor (@vedatmilor) October 22, 2019

Others called for a new emoji to be developed. 

The “Turkish bagel” no more – #simit enters the @OED Oxford English Dictionary, defined as “a type of bread often coated with molasses and covered in sesame seeds, originating in #Turkey” https://t.co/mbaqBYeWBF pic.twitter.com/LUbGxHLCno

— Jennifer Hattam (@TheTurkishLife) October 22, 2019

My favourite Turkish food ‘simit’ recently entered the Oxford dictionary. 👏 But why isn’t there an emoji? If pretzel 🥨 has one, why not simit? #SimitEmojisistiyoruz #SimitEmojiWanted 👇😀 https://t.co/CigccCc98y

— Maria Ramos (@MariaRamosUK) October 23, 2019

“Everyone in the world is going to call it simit” pic.twitter.com/7KC1goB5Bh

— Jared Wall (@JaredWall01) October 23, 2019

Simit was among several food and drink terms listed in the OED’s October update. 

Other additions include:

Arancini – Italian stuffed rice balls

Goetta – a German sausage of meat and oatmeal typically served in fried slices for breakfast

Poke – a Hawaiian dish of marinated fish or other seafood, served over rice

The OED is one of the largest dictionaries in the world and dates back 150 years. It adds about 1,000 new entries to its online version every year.