The Science of Spice

168 Spice Profiles

Region of cultivation

Sesame plants originated in sub-Saharan

Africa. Sesame is cultivated in China, India,

North Africa, North America, Central

and South America, and Sudan.

CHINA

INDIA

SUDAN

SESAME

Nutty | Bittersweet | Rich

BOTANICAL NAME

Sesamum indicum

ALSO KNOWN AS

Benne.

MAJOR FLAVOUR COMPOUNDS

Pyrazine compounds.

PARTS USED

Seeds.

METHOD OF CULTIVATION

Whole plants are cut just before the seed

capsules (technically fruits) are fully ripe.

COMMERCIAL PREPARATION

Stalks are dried, threshed, capsules split

open, and the seeds shaken out.

NON-CULINARY USES

Sesame oil is used as a base in cosmetics

and perfumery. The mildly laxative seeds

are used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat

indigestion and arthritis.

The plant

Sesame is a tropical, annual

plant in the pedalium

family. It grows to a height

of 1–2m (3–6ft).

Flowers are

trumpet-shaped

and can be

white, pale pink,

or purplish

Seed capsules

are oblong and

contain 50–

100 flat seeds

Black

This type of unhulled seed

is popular in Chinese and

Japanese cookery, and sold

toasted or untoasted.

White

These are sold hulled or unhulled,

and toasted or untoasted. Raw seeds

have almost no aroma; roasting

brings out their nutty taste.

Sesame was first cultivated more

than 4,000 years ago and was prized

by many ancient civilizations. The

Babylonians and Assyrians used

sesame both in cooking and in religious

rituals – in Assyrian mythology, the

gods drank sesame wine the night

before they created the world. Ancient

Egyptians used the oil as a medicine,

and ground the seeds for flour. Seed

remains were found in Tutankhamun’s

tomb. In Rome, soldiers carried the

energy-giving seeds as emergency

rations, and cooks ground them

into a paste-like condiment flavoured

with cumin. In the famous Arabian

folk tale, when Ali Baba cries

“Open, sesame!” a cave is unsealed

to reveal a stash of jewels. This

probably alludes to the way ripe seed

pods burst open at the slightest touch,

scattering their seeds. Sesame

travelled to North America and Mexico

with the slave trade, and was being

grown in colonial America by 1730.

Spice story

NORTH AFRICA

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