Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Spice guide to Sesame Seeds along with all the Sesame Seeds containing recipes presented on this site, with 145 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the spice-based recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Sesame Seeds as a major flavouring.

Sesame seeds (also known as Gingelly and Benneseed) are the seeds of the sesame plant Sesamum indicum, and being the plant's seeds they are classed as a spice. Indeed, they are the oldest spice known from written human records and figure in an Assyrian myth circa 3000 BCE. It is an annual flowering plant in the genus Pedaliaceae (sesame) family growing to just short of 1m tall. The flowers are white to purple, tubular, 3-5 cm long, with a four-lobed mouth. The true native region of this plant is not known, as it was widely naturalized during ancient times; however, it's closest relatives occur in Africa. The name 'sesame' ultimately derives from the Assyrian (Akkadian) shamash-shammū (which is a compound of a compound of šamnu [𒉌] 'fat, oil' and šammum [𒌑] 'plant') by way of Greek sesamon [σήσαμον] (Mycenaean Greek sasaman [𐀭𐀭𐀔]) which gives us the Latin sesamum. The archaic English name gingelly derives from the Arabic al-juljulan [الجلجلان] 'sesame'. The other extant name, benneseed (or benne) derives from the West African, Wolof, name for sesame seeds, bene. This being the commonest name for this spice in African English.

Sesame seeds can range in colour from off-white through brown to black. The seeds have a nutty flavour and are distinctly oily when chewed. The nutty taste is significantly increased by toasting (which is why sesame seeds are often used as toppings for breads and cakes). Interestingly, the aroma profile of sesame seeds depend on the toasting procedure. The chemicals, pyrazines tend to dominate the flavour on mild toasting conditions (160°C), whilst toasting at higher temperatures (200°C) leads to increased formation of furane compounds.

Sesame plants are primarily cultivated for their oil-rich seeds which have a rich nutty flavour. These are commonly added to breads and can also be made into the paste, tahini which is a main component of humus. In India, sections of the Middle East and East Asia, popular treats are made from sesame mixed with honey or syrup and roasted. Indeed, sesame oil was the preferred cooking medium in India before the advent of groundnut oil. Sesame flavour (through oil and seeds [roasted and plain]) is also very popular in Korean cuisine, used to marinate meat and vegetables. The leaves of the sesame plant are also used in Korean cuisine as a type of wrap, eaten with meat and other vegetables (however, it should be noted that Korean recipes referring to 'wild sesame' actually mean the herb, perilla). Sesame seeds are also sprinkled onto some sushi style foods. East Asian cuisines, like Chinese cuisine uses sesame seeds and oil in some dishes, such as the dim sum dish, sesame seed balls. In Japanese cookery tempura chefs blend sesame and cottonseed oil for deep frying.