A tahini roll or tahini bread roll is a Sweet roll found commonly in the cuisines of the Levant, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.[1][2][3][4]

Geographic scope

Armenia and the Levant

Tahini rolls are popular in Armenian cuisine, where they are called tahinov hatz (Armenian: Թահինով հաց). The rolls are made with a soft dough consisting of flour, water, yeast, sugar and butter, while the filling consists of tahini mixed with sugar and cinnamon.[5]

Armenians migrating to the Levant popularized the dessert there.[3][1][2][6]

Cyprus and Greece

Tahinopita is a type of tahini roll that is popular as a street food in Cyprus and in some areas of Greece, the tahini roll is sometimes likened to cinnamon rolls.[7][8][9] In the Cypriot capital of Nicosia, street vendors with carts or bikes, as well as bakeries sell tahini rolls.[10] They are popular during Lent.[11][12]

Turkey

In Turkey, they are most popular during the month of Ramadan, during which they are consumed on suhur.[13]

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.[14] Sometimes the pastry may be soaked in syrup of sugar or honey and flavored with cinnamon.[9]

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

The Armenian name is tahinov hats (Թահինով Հաց), translated meaning Tahini bread.[15] In the Greek language it is known as ταχινόπιττα (tahinopita) or τασιηνόπιττα (tasinopita); in Cypriot Greek the pronunciation is "tashinopita" with a "sh" sound as opposed to "h" in mainland Greek.[16][17] In Arab countries it is known as khubz tahini (Arabic: خبز الطحينة).[18][14]

In the Turkish language, the general term is tahinli çörek, although in Cypriot Turkish it is known simply as tahınlı or tahınnı.[19][20] The name ekmek tahinli is sometimes used as well.[21][22] The word çörek in Turkish refers to a variety of buns and breads, often sweet.[23][24]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Brehaut, Laura (10 July 2020). "Cook this: Kubez el tahineh — sweet tahini rolls — from Falastin". National Post.
  2. 1 2 Reinhardt, Laura (30 September 2021). "In the kitchen: Armenian tahinov hatz recipe". World Vision International. Retrieved 28 Dec 2025.
  3. 1 2 "كتاب "فلسطين" يفتح المطبخ الفلسطيني أمام الطهاة المنزليين" [The book “Falastin” opens Palestinian cuisine to home cooks]. Times of Israel Arabic (in Arabic). 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Khan, Yasmin. "Sweet tahini swirl buns". delicious. magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "TAHINOV HATS (ARMENIAN TAHINI BREAD)". Tara‘s Multicultural Table.
  6. ↑ "طريقة عمل فطائر الطحينه بالسكر والسمسم كعك ارمنتي" [How to make tahini pastries with sugar and sesame seeds (Armenian ka'ak)]. Sahafa 24 (in Arabic). 10 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "Cypriot Traditional Tahinopita". SBS Greek. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Sweet Treat for Great Lent: Tahinopita from Cyprus". The National Herald. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  9. 1 2 Waverman, Lucy (30 June 2015). "Recipe: Traditional Cypriot tahini pies". The Globe and Mail.
  10. ↑ Çavuşoğlu, Mehmet; Çavuşoğlu, Olena (2018). "Gastronomi Turizmi ve Kıbrıs Sokak Lezzetleri Üzerine Bir Araştırma". Güncel Turizm Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2 (Ek 1): 644.
  11. ↑ "Tahinopita (Tahini Sweet Bread)". Oliveology. 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  12. ↑ "Tashinopitta - Tahinopitta". Cyprus Food Museum. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Aksaray'ın tahinli pidesine ramazan ilgisi" [Aksaray's tahini flatbread attracts interest during Ramadan.]. Anadolu Agency (in Turkish). 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  14. 1 2 Perry, Charles (18 April 2007). "Tahini Cookies". Los Angeles times.
  15. ↑ "Բաղադրատոմսեր հայկական գաղթօջախներից. Թահինով հաց, Արաբկիր" [Recipes from Armenian Diaspora: Tahini Bread, Arabkir]. CIVILNET (in Armenian). 21 October 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  16. ↑ Drogari, Eleni. "Dancing the self: Cypriot sociocultural identity and contemporary choreography" (PDF). Roehampton University.
  17. ↑ "Αρμένικες ταχινόπιτες, το καλύτερο σνακ για το σχολείο" [Armenian tahini pies, the best snack for school]. BOVARY (in Greek). 15 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  18. ↑ "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.
  19. ↑ Kabataş, Orhan (2007). Kıbrıs Türkçesinin etimolojik sözlüğü. Kıbrıs Türk Yazarlar Birliği. p. 536.
  20. ↑ "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.
  21. ↑ "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.
  22. ↑ Ergil, Leyla Yvonne (11 October 2023). "Let's talk about tahini: Tips, trends and more". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  23. ↑ "çörek". Nişanyan Sözlük (in Turkish). Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  24. ↑ "Tureng - çörek - Turkish English Dictionary". Tureng dictionary. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahini_roll