You will often see Bucharestians crowd in front of a small outlet selling Vishnu and Shiva know what. Students at the infamous ASE, mid-aged folks wearing fine suits, as well as shivering poor old ladies, all ready to spend next to nothing (usually RON 1.00) for a covrig. A piece of dough twisted like a rope, then wrapped more or less in shape of digit eight, and eventually baked, but not before being dipped in steamy water, because otherwise the goddamn covrig won’t be shiny and soft. They will have it topped with with sesame, salt or poppy, while some Dobrogea (SE Romania) variations have the dough mixed with olive bits or raisins. Bucharestians will eat several covrigi while walking down the street, not givin’ a damn about its containing a hell lot of wheat flour and not much else. At a time of globalization, where fast-foods or frozen’n baked outlets expand every day, places selling the covrigi still are real institutions Bucharestians rely on and crowd at; during the morning rush hour you might see Ceaușescu-style queues at Covrigăries or Simigeries. Watch them on an early morning at the outlet in Piața Romană (with that skinny guy always ready with a joke). More recently, there have appeared many places serving covrigi in many subway stations and at major traffic crossings (even though new places do not have classical ovens, but rather electrical ones, and the taste is slightly different). At the same time, the covrig variety has gone nuts: apart from the classical salt’n pepper, sesame or Dobrogea ones, there are nowadays corvigi filled with jam, chocolate, ham, cheese or walnuts. Yes, filled. Some of the larger covrig places also sell small covrig dough pizza-like things, called ‘pită’, and they can be topped with ‘cașcaval’ (En. yellow cheese), ‘carne’ (En. pork), ‘măsline’ (En. olives) or else. In other situations you can also get covrig dough ‘batoane’ (straight, baked dough bars) filled with pretty much the same plus sausages.

How the covrig came around is still a matter of debate, yet it is probably a mixture of East and West, with the Turkish simit and its colloquial form of gevrek (found in Greece as koulouri / κουλούρι, in Serbia as đevrek / ђеврек, in Macedonia as ѓеврек, in Bulgaria as геврек) meeting the German Brezel, worldwide known as pretzel. Poland sees a relatively similar snack called obwarzanek, with the obwarzanek Krakowski being famous in the respective city. However, just like the original simit, the obwarzanek is different from most local covrigi through shape and dough consistence which tend to side with the pretzels.

A special note goes to two small simigerie chains in Bucharest. First there is the Simigerie Luca, a small, but developing chain of covrigi-selling places where one finds the usual, ‘plain’ covrigi, as well as fancier ones: apple or chocolate-filled little covrigi, the locally branded ‘Covri Luca’ (hot dogs wrapped in covrig dough, then baked) or ‘Covri tradițional’ (ham and mozzarella rolls wrapped in covrig dough, then baked)... While not traditional at all, these additions provide a funny addition and they show the interest locals still have for the covrigi. Find the Luca in a few locations, one lying next to Piața Unirii 1 subway station Western exit, the other one on Brătianu Avenue, just across the street from Bărăția Church, next to its junction with Gabroveni Street.

Then there is the nation-spread Simigerie Petru, with a business that started in Piatra Neamț back in 1939, was typically banned during the Communist period and has been brought back to life by the founder’s family, with venues in more than a dozen cities across Romania, including Bucharest. What have they got? Of course, there are first the so-called ‘plain’ covrigi, topped with poppy, sesame, raisins, minced walnuts, sunflower seeds, as well as some smaller covrigi with chocolate. Then, just like the Luca, the Petru serve hotdogs wrapped in covrig dough (the branded, plain or spicy ‘Covridog’), then cheese wrapped in covrig dough (that’s just as easy: ‘Covricheese’) and finally what else but a ‘Covriking’ (mozzarella and ham wrapped in covrig dough). To complete the fast food image of their brand, the Petru come with a few toppings to choose from, as well as with a few dairy products. For the time being, one can find them in 3 locations in Bucharest, of which only one (and the greatest one, a cafeteria concept where they also serve several kinds of coffee products) in downtown Piața Victoriei; the other two lie in the extreme N and W of the city (24 Preciziei and 6 Dimitrie Pompei). Check their website under ‘locații’ to find the new additions to the franchise.

Local chains include the Lazopan bakery network, the Polen, as well as the Simit and Covrigelul uriaș (word trick meaning ‘The huge little covrig’) with their larger than life covrigs. Some of these places also sell donuts. Lazopan outlets usually lie next to subway stations, there are Polen places in București Nord Railway Station and off a few subway stations, while a convenient Simit lies on Dacia Avenue, immediately East of Romană Square.

Back to the covrigărie line, this is a straight forward, New York City style affair, so get ready for the quick question: “cu ce?” (En. what kind?), respectively a superquick answer or the others in line will throw you in the deepest pool of hell tar: “mac” (En. “poppy”), “sare” (En. “salt”), “mac și sare” (En. “poppy and salt”), “susan” (En. “sesame”), as well as - not always - “măsline” (En. “olives”), “stafide” (En. “raisins”). Very rarely you’ll need say “simplu” (En. “plain”), as Romanians adore their add-ons and toppings. Anyway, just keep on looking for a “covrigărie” or “simigerie” sign. You won’t look for long and then, after a little exercise, your nose will get you there by the fragrance.

One might call these memories of a long gone period of time. I would rather call these present time people. As well as parts of my daily life. All in a city called Bucharest.

GPS - Covrigi Piața Romană - N44 26.789 E26 05.783

GPS - Simigerie Luca Unirii - N44 25.41 E 26 06.03

GPS - Simigerie Luca Brătianu - N44 25.51 E 26 06.11

GPS - Simigerie & Cafeterie Petru - N44 27.08 E 26 04.57

Or, much easier, next (often even inside) most subway stations.