The City Street in Tuzla has a special scent during Ramadan. The reason behind that is the Ramadan somuni which are an indispensable part of the iftar table. Countless somuni are made every day in the famous bakery Hukić, which has been situated in the heart of the city of salt for over 120 years.
In this bakery, seven workers simultaneously knead dough, shape somuni and arrange them on trays for baking, then the somuni are placed into a bread oven and in the end prepared for distribution across Tuzla.
“Somun is a product made of flour, water, salt and yeast. In our bakery somuni are still being made after the old recipe, we kept the special yeast which gives that distinct taste, softness those little holes in somuni,” said the owner of the bakery, Amir Hukić.
When it comes to the preparation process, Hukić explained that it consists of several steps.
“One part of dough is kneaded and left to rise over night. After the workers come to work at 2 am, the dough is kneaded one more time, then measured and shaped, and the shaped somun is again left on a plank to rise again. In the end, the dough is coated and sprinkled with black seed, which gives it a very special flavor in the final stage, somun is placed in the bread oven, and after baking it is ready for distribution,” Hukić said.
Hukić added that the black seed plant is what plays an important role in the smell and taste of the Ramadan somun. This is the spice that makes the streets of Tuzla smell in a very special way during the Muslim month of Ramadan.
All day long, hard working hands of bakers prepare somuni which eventually reach the fasters who wait in front of this baker every night.
“We bake somuni all day long, so citizens can buy them fresh and sizzling hot at any moment. We are especially happy because of the tradition of the old citizens of Tuzla to come before iftar and buy hot somuni,” Hukić said.
According to written records, the bakery Hukić was opened in 1890 and the recipe for preparation of somuni has not been changed ever since.
(Source: klix.ba/photo: youtube.com)
