They are a popular street food in Cyprus.[2] In the Cypriot capital of Nicosia, street vendors with carts or bikes, as well as bakeries sell tahini rolls.[3]
Its name varies by location. In Arab countries it is known as khubz tahini.[4] The Armenian name is Թահինով Հաց. In the Greek language it is known as ταχινόπιττα (tahinopitta) or τασιηνόπιττα (tasinopitta); in Cypriot Greek the pronunciation is "tashinopita" with a "sh" sound as opposed to "h" in mainland Greek.[5] In the Turkish language, the general term is tahinli çörek, although in Cypriot Turkish it is known simply as tahınlı or tahınnı.[6]
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.[4] Sometimes the pastry may be soaked in syrup of sugar or honey and flavored with cinnamon.[2]
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.