Black Sesame Seeds Organic [1 oz.]

Organic sesame seeds are used in cuisine throughout the world. It is a popular topping for pieces of bread and often combined with sugar or honey in deserts such as the Middle Eastern halvah or Greek pasteli. Sesame can also be ground into a butter known as tahini, which by itself is quite bitter – but combines very well with maple syrup, jams, and honey or savory ingredients like garlic and paprika.

Organic sesame seeds are from a flowering plant that is native to the tropical regions of Africa. Interestingly, however, the plant was first domesticated in the Indus River Valley of what is now Pakistan nearly 4,000 years ago.

Linguistic evidence indicates that bulk sesame seeds were an important source of oil to the people of south-central Asia. Sesame still occupies a significant place in the cultures of Pakistan and India; in the latter, sesame oil is part of important Hindu rituals. In the Urdu language of Pakistan, sesame is used as a metaphor: a mean-spirited person is described as a sesame seed with no oil. Among Arabs and modern-day pagans, sesame is thought to bring good fortune.

Black sesame seeds are combined with the tan variety and roasted and ground to create the Japanese condiment known as gomashio, a popular topping for rice dishes such as sekihan and onigiri.

Common Names: Benne, till seed, teel