Ring Pretzel · Everyday Street Snack

Covrigi

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One Romanian city, Buzău, is so associated with these pretzels that its name is practically shorthand for good covrigi.

Covrigi are ring-shaped baked bread snacks topped with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or coarse salt, sold plain and unsweetened from carts and kiosks on nearly every city street corner. They're grabbed as a walking-around snack rather than a sit-down meal.

Why it's made this way: Cheap, filling, and quick to hand over from a cart window, covrigi fit the pace of city life and have stayed a default grab-and-go snack for generations of Romanians.