Sesame

Sésame

What it is

“Open sesame!” — the magic words of Ali Baba echo the plant itself: ripe sesame pods burst open at a touch, scattering their seeds. It is likely the oldest oil crop on Earth, pressed in Mesopotamia four thousand years ago.

In the kitchen

Toasted and ground with salt, it becomes gomasio; toasted and pressed, tahini. Raw seeds on bread are decoration — toasted, they are flavour.

Goes with

Chickpeas Honey Soy sauce Ginger Eggplant Rice Tuna

Same species

Black sesame Black sesame paste Chinese sesame paste Rāyu Toasted sesame oil

Also used with

Amazake Aonori Arame Ashitaba Barley malt syrup Black rice

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