Kandil simidi is a salty variant of the Turkish simit pastry which is eaten during the Kandil religious holiday. It is ring-shaped and coated in sesame seeds, and is sometimes flavoured with mahlep. During the five nights of Kandil, these pastries are baked and offered to neighbours and relatives.[1][2]
^Q News: The Muslim Magazine. Q News International. 1998. p. 32. Retrieved February 11, 2018. The others are the night of wishes, the night on which the Prophet ascended to heaven and the night when a person's destiny for the following year is determined. These nights are religious celebrations. The minarets are illuminated and the Muslims pray. People cook "Lokma" and "Kandil Simidi" are sold in the streets on those nights so that they may buy them to take them to their elders.