Mexican Name Finder
BreadArabic (via Spanish)Puebla

Cemita

"fine-flour bread"

Also called Semita.

Say it

seh·MEE·tah

Where it comes from

Spanish acemita (bran bread), from Arabic samīd (fine white flour)

What Cemita means

Cemita is a Mexican bread name of Arabic (via Spanish) origin meaning "fine-flour bread". It comes from Spanish acemita (bran bread), from Arabic samīd (fine white flour). It is pronounced seh-MEE-tah, and it is most associated with Puebla.

The Spanish academy routes cemita through acemite, from a Semitic root for finely milled grain that also gives semolina and Greek semidalis. The Puebla cemita is the sesame-crusted sandwich roll, not a sweet.

This is a site about what Mexican words mean, so there is no recipe here. For the name itself: Mexican pan dulce is named by shape, and the names are pure visual poetry: concha (shell), oreja (ear), cuernito (little horn), ojo de buey (ox eye), corbata (necktie), puerquito (little pig), bigote (moustache).

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Cemita means fine-flour bread

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