Street Food · Beirut Bread Rings

Kaak (Kaak bi Simsim)

📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

Beirut's vendors still deliver it the old-fashioned way — dozens of sesame-crusted rings hung from a pole balanced over one shoulder or wheeled on a bicycle.

A purse-shaped, sesame-crusted bread ring is baked crisp outside and chewy within, then split open and filled to order with za'atar, cheese, or a soft cheese-and-thyme mix. Sold from carts and bicycles across Beirut.

Why it's made this way: Its portable ring shape let street vendors carry dozens at once on poles or bicycles, turning kaak into a fast, handheld meal for commuters and students on the go.