Tahini roll

Tahini roll

Alternative names	Tahinopitta, Tahinli çörek
Type	Sweet roll
Place of origin	Armenia
Region or state	South Caucasus, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Levant
Main ingredients	Dough, tahini, sugar, cinnamon

A tahini roll or tahini bread roll is a sweet pastry found commonly in the cuisines of Arab countries, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. Tahini roll originated in Armenia, where they are called tahinov hatz. ^{[1] [2]}

Geographic scope

They are a popular street food in Cyprus. ^[3] In the Cypriot capital of Nicosia, street vendors with carts or bikes, as well as bakeries sell tahini rolls. ^[4]

In Turkey, they are most popular during the month of Ramadan, during which they are consumed on suhur. ^[5]

Preparation

The dough includes sugar and oil and has a texture between a bread and a cookie. It is leavened with yeast and can be baked after the first rise. ^[6] Sometimes the pastry may be soaked in syrup of sugar or honey and flavored with cinnamon. ^[3]

Tahini rolls are made by rolling the dough flat, spreading it with the tahini mixture, sprinkling with sugar and rolling into a log shape. The dough is then sliced into smaller pieces and flattened to form a circle.

Name and etymology

In Arab countries it is known as khubz tahini (Arabic : خبز الطحينة). ^{[7] [6]} The Armenian name is Թահինով Հաց. ^[8] In the Greek language it is known as ταχινόπιττα (tahinopitta) or τασιηνόπιττα (tasinopitta); in Cypriot Greek the pronunciation is "tashinopita" with a "sh" sound as opposed to "h" in mainland Greek. ^[9]

In the Turkish language, the general term is tahinli çörek, although in Cypriot Turkish it is known simply as tahınlı or tahınnı. ^{[10] [11]} The name ekmek tahinli is sometimes used as well. ^{[12] [13]} The word çörek in Turkish refers to a variety of buns and breads, often sweet. ^{[14] [15]}

See also

• List of bread rolls
• Tahinopita
• Sweet roll
• Fig roll

References

1. Brehaut, Laura (10 July 2020). "Cook this: Kubez el tahineh — sweet tahini rolls — from Falastin". National Post.
2. Reinhardt, Laura (30 September 2021). "In the kitchen: Armenian tahinov hatz recipe". World Vision International . Retrieved 28 Dec 2025.
3. Waverman, Lucy (30 June 2015). "Recipe: Traditional Cypriot tahini pies". The Globe and Mail.
4. Çavuşoğlu, Mehmet; Çavuşoğlu, Olena (2018). "Gastronomi Turizmi ve Kıbrıs Sokak Lezzetleri Üzerine Bir Araştırma". Güncel Turizm Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2 (Ek 1): 644.
5. "Aksaray'ın tahinli pidesine ramazan ilgisi" [Aksaray's tahini flatbread attracts interest during Ramadan.]. Anadolu Agency (in Turkish). 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
6. Perry, Charles (18 April 2007). "Tahini Cookies". Los Angeles times.
7. "ستقع في غرامه من أول لقمة.. خبز الطحينة على الطريقة التركية" [You'll fall in love with it from the first bite... Turkish-style tahini bread]. ArabicPost (in Arabic). 10 November 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
8. "Բաղադրատոմսեր հայկական գաղթօջախներից. Թահինով հաց, Արաբկիր" [Recipes from Armenian Diaspora: Tahini Bread, Arabkir]. CIVILNET (in Armenian). 21 October 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
9. Drogari, Eleni. "Dancing the self: Cypriot sociocultural identity and contemporary choreography" (PDF). Roehampton University.
10. Kabataş, Orhan (2007). Kıbrıs Türkçesinin etimolojik sözlüğü. Kıbrıs Türk Yazarlar Birliği. p. 536.
11. "Pekmezli tahinli çörek sofraların vazgeçilmezi oldu" [Molasses and tahini buns have become an indispensable part of the dinner table.]. Hurriyet (in Turkish). 16 October 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
12. "Tam bir demir kaynağı! Evde kahvaltılık tahinli ekmek nasıl yapılır?" [A great source of iron! How to make tahini bread for breakfast at home?]. Akşam (in Turkish). 14 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
13. Ergil, Leyla Yvonne (11 October 2023). "Let's talk about tahini: Tips, trends and more". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
14. "çörek". Nişanyan Sözlük (in Turkish). Retrieved 29 December 2025.
15. "Tureng - çörek - Turkish English Dictionary". Tureng dictionary . Retrieved 29 December 2025.