Greek Sesame Bread rings recipe (Koulouri Thessalonikis)

Koulouri of Thessaloniki: History of the Greek Energy Snack

By

 Maria Korologou

One of the most traditional Greek snacks that awaken the sweetest memories of our childhood is at the same time one of the healthiest sources of carbohydrates, proteins and other nutrients and energy.

The koulouri, a circular bread with sesame seeds, is the best product to appreciate the simplicity of taste.

Maybe it is the city of Thessaloniki that boasts of being its city of origin, but for many years its nutritional value and delicious taste have won the whole country, and the numerous Greeks who love it choose it as a snack at any time of the day.

You will find it in many different variations: multigrain, filled, without sesame seeds, with tahini, whole ground, double and more, but the classic Thessaloniki sesame-seed koulouri was the first to be made by the refugees that came to the second city capital mainly from Asia Minor. This sesame-seed koulouri is the one that has stayed in our hearts as a   traditional Greek product that was sold by street vendors with hand baskets (called tavades) on their head early in the morning.

Although it does not have a registered designation of origin, the sesame-seed koulouri has been identified with the city of Thessaloniki as its history begins during the period of the Byzantine Empire and it mainly appeared in Istanbul and Thessaloniki. In Istanbul the venders of the koulouri (called koulourtzides) trumpeted their merchandise with the name “koulouri of Thessaloniki” and much later the same name was used by the street venders in Attica.

Today, in Greece and Turkey, koulourtzides frequent in places where crowds pass, normally central parts of the cities, in order to sell their “koulouria.” They carry them in big baskets and sell them either straight out of the basket or out of glass, mobile displays.

As far as its nutritional value is concerned, you can be sure that the koulouri is one of the healthiest and cheapest snacks you can find. You can eat it walking on the street, take it to work or combine it with cheese for a light and energizing meal.

Koulouri is made from wheat flour, yeast, water, salt and sugar. But the secret that gives the koulouri all of its taste (except for the baking and the dough) is the high in quantity and quality sesame seeds. Sesame seeds and their products tahini, halva, sesame oil) are caloric products, but of high nutritional value.

Sesame seeds (only 28 grams of them) offer more than one fourth of our daily need in calcium. In addition, they constitute dietary proteins of high biological value and contain mainly B vitamins such as B1, B2 and niacin (vitamin B5). There is also an increased presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids in sesame which makes it a particularly nutritious food, as these acids cannot be synthesized by the human body.

In the last years, the nutritional value of sesame has been associated with both the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases with high frequency in the people of the West, such as cardiovascular diseases, different forms of cancer (sesame contains phyto chemicals with strong antioxidant properties).

Spanakopita Easter Favorite

Spanakopita

Made Either way round or square

For the filling:

• 2 lb. fresh spinach, washed, dried, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions (about 3 oz. or 10 small), white and light-green parts only, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 cups crumbled feta cheese (10 oz.)
• 1/2 cup finely grated Greek kefalotyri cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Make the filling: Heat a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a few large handfuls of the spinach and cook, tossing gently with tongs. As the spinach starts to wilt, add the rest a few handfuls at a time. Cook until all the spinach is wilted and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach to a colander set in a sink. Let cool slightly and squeeze with your hands to extract as much of the remaining liquid as you can.

Wipe the pan dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in the spinach, turn off the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Then stir in the cheeses, eggs, dill, parsley, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. salt and mix thoroughly.

Assemble the pie: With a pastry brush, lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with some of the oil. Working quickly, lightly oil one side of a phyllo sheet and lay it in the pan oiled side up and off center so that it partially covers the bottom and reaches halfway up one long side of the pan (the edge on the bottom of the pan will be about 1 inch from the side). Lightly oil the top of another phyllo sheet and lay it oiled side up and off center so it reaches halfway up the other long side of the pan. (If your pan has sloped sides, the sheets may be slightly longer than the bottom of the pan; if so, let the excess go up one short side of the pan and then alternate with subsequent sheets.) Repeat this pattern with 4 more phyllo sheets.

Next, lightly oil the tops of 3 phyllo sheets and layer them oiled side up and centered in the pan. Spread the filling evenly over the last layer.

Repeat the oiling and layering of the remaining 9 phyllo sheets over the filling in the same way you layered the previous 9. With the oiled bristles of the pastry brush, push the edges of the phyllo down around the sides of the pan to enclose the filling completely.

With a sharp knife, score the top phyllo layer into 24 rectangles, being careful not to cut all the way through to the filling. Using the same pastry brush, brush the milk along all the score marks (this will keep the phyllo from flaking up along the edges of the squares). Bake the spanakopita until the top crust is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool until just warm. Cut out the rectangles carefully along the score marks and serve.