The Leyla tost (a toasted sandwich with melted chocolate [or Nutella] and banana) was invented in the 1960s at the popular snack bar Marmaris Büfe.
In Turkish cuisine, “tost” is a savoury breakfast sandwich much like a panini or grilled cheese, but the Leyla tost is a sweet twist — with an interesting story behind it. According to a Marmaris Büfe representative interviewed by Food & Wine, in the late 1960s a group of students came to the snack bar and asked for “something sweet”. At the time the menu only had savoury items, but founder Nihat Sargın didn’t want to disappoint them.
Finding some bananas and a bar of chocolate in the kitchen, he put two slices of white bread with the chocolate and banana into the toaster. The students loved this spontaneous creation, and Sargın named the toast — which later became iconic — after one of the girls in the group, called Leyla.
