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Flavors · Esmirna

Boyoz

Small round roll of puff pastry made from stretched dough, oil and tahini, baked in a hot oven: boyoz is İzmir’s breakfast, eaten with a boiled egg and tea.

Traditional dish from Esmirna, Esmirna

Also known as: İzmir boyozu, Izmir boyozu

Updated October 2026

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Boyoz — Esmirna, Turkey

Boyoz is the pastry İzmir eats in the morning. It is a small round roll 7 to 9 centimeters across, with a "navel" in the center, golden and brittle, that melts in the mouth. The dough of flour, water and salt is rolled out very thin, brushed with a mixture of fat and tahini (sesame paste), folded, rolled up like a cylinder and cut into portions. It goes into a hot oven for 15 to 25 minutes.

The name "İzmir Boyozu" has a geographical indication registration since 2017 (No. 268), requested by the İzmir Chamber of Commerce. The registration file states that boyoz has been made in İzmir since the Ottoman period, first as a homemade preparation, and that sale in bakeries is more recent. It requires at least 15% tahini in the fat.

The origin of boyoz is often attributed to the Sephardic Jews who arrived in the Ottoman Empire after the expulsion from Spain at the end of the 15th century; the name would recall the Spanish "bollo." This is a version told by the city, without documentary confirmation.

In İzmir boyoz is almost always eaten the same way: with a boiled egg and a glass of tea, standing on the bakery’s sidewalk, or on the way to work. There are plain boyoz and versions filled with cheese or spinach. It is usually sold in the morning.

Where it comes from

Esmirna, Esmirna
The typical breakfast of the city of İzmir, with a boiled egg and tea.

Ingredients

Wheat flour, water and salt; fat mixed with tahini; sunflower oil. Versions with cheese or spinach.

How it is eaten

Warm or at room temperature, preferably the day it was baked, with a boiled egg and tea.

When it is eaten

Breakfast, year-round.

Your questions

Questions about Boyoz

What is boyoz eaten with in İzmir?

The most common is with a boiled egg and a glass of tea, at breakfast. Many people eat it standing near the bakery, or take it on the way.

Does boyoz have filling?

The traditional one is plain, just the puff pastry with tahini. There are also versions with cheese or spinach.

Where does boyoz come from?

It has been made in İzmir since the Ottoman period, according to the city’s geographical indication registration. The origin is often attributed to the Sephardic Jews who arrived from Spain at the end of the 15th century, but that is a popular version without verification.

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