Ingredient: Sesame seeds
Category: Seeds
Season: All
Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum.
The precise natural origin of the species is unknown, although numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India.
It is widely naturalised in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds.
Uses in food and cuisines
Sesame is grown primarily for its oil-rich seeds, which come in a variety of colours, from cream-white to charcoal-black.
In general, the paler varieties of sesame seem to be more valued in the West and Middle East.
In the Far East, the black varieties are prized.
The small sesame seed is used whole in cooking for its rich nutty flavour (although such heating damages their healthful poly-unsaturated fats), and also yields sesame oil.
Sesame seeds are sometimes added to breads, including bagels and the tops of hamburger buns.
Sesame seeds may be baked into crackers, often in the form of sticks.
In Japan
Whole seeds are found in many salads and baked snacks.
Tan and black sesame seed varieties are roasted and used for making the flavouring gomashio.
Sesame seeds are also sprinkled onto some sushi style foods.
In Japanese cuisine goma-dofu is made from sesame paste and starch.
In Greece seeds are used in cakes, while in Togo seeds are a main soup ingredient.
In Sicily the seeds are also eaten on bread.
McDonald’s, USA, purchases about one-third of the sesame crop imported by the United States from Mexico, for their sesame seed buns
In the Punjab province of Pakistan and the Tamil Nadu state of India, a sweet ball called "Pinni" in Urdu and 'Ell urundai' in Tamil, is made of its seeds mixed with sugar.
In Tamil Nadu, 'Milakai Podi', a ground powder made of sesame and dry chilli, is used to enhance flavour and consumed along with other traditional foods such as idli.
Ground and processed, the seeds can also be used in sweet confections.
Sesame seeds can be made into a paste called tahini (used in various ways, including in hummus) and a Middle Eastern confection called halvah.
In India, sections of the Middle East, and East Asia, popular treats are made from sesame mixed with honey or syrup and roasted (called pasteli in Greece).
East Asian cuisines, like Chinese cuisine use sesame seeds and oil in some dishes, such as the dim sum dish, sesame seed balls (traditional Chinese: pinyin: mátuǎn; Cantonese: jin deui), and the Vietnamese bánh rán.
Sesame flavour (through oil and roasted or raw seeds) is also very popular in Korean cuisine, used to marinate meat and vegetables.
Chefs in Tempura restaurants blend sesame and cottonseed oil for deep-frying.
Sesame oil was the preferred cooking oil in India , until the advent of groundnut (peanut) oil. |