Editing Sesame (section)

== Culinary use ==

{{See also |List of sesame seed dishes}}

Sesame seed is a common ingredient in many cuisines. Sesame seed cookies called Benne wafers, both sweet and savory, are popular in places such as [[Charleston, South Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Olde Colony Bakery |url=https://www.oldecolonybakery.com/ |access-date=2021-07-26 |website=Olde Colony Bakery}}</ref> Sesame seeds, also called ''benne'', were brought into 17th-century colonial America by enslaved West Africans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Benne Wafers |url=https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/benne-wafers-recipe |access-date=2021-07-26 |website=www.kingarthurbaking.com}}</ref> The whole plant was used in West African cuisine. The seeds thickened soups and puddings, or were roasted and infused to produce a coffee-like drink.<ref name=":0"/> Oil from the seeds substituted for butter, and served as a shortening for cakes.<ref name=":0"/> The leaves on mature plants, which are rich in mucilage, can be used as a laxative as well as a treatment for dysentery and cholera.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bedigian |first=Dorothea |title=African Origins of Sesame Cultivation in the Americas. |year=2013 |location=Springer, New York, NY}}</ref> After arriving in North America, the plant was grown by slaves as a subsistence staple to supplement their weekly rations.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Carney |first1=Judith |title=In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa's Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World |last2=Rosomoff |first2=Richard |year=2009 |pages=123–138}}</ref> In [[Caribbean cuisine]], sugar and white sesame seeds are combined into a bar resembling [[peanut brittle]] and sold in stores and street corners, like Bahamian Benny cakes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=BodineVictoria |date=2020-08-10 |title=Bahamian Benny Cake |url=https://www.bodinevictoria.com/post/bahamian-benny-cake |access-date=2021-07-26 |website=BodineVictoria}}</ref>

In Asia, sesame seeds are sprinkled onto [[sushi]]-style foods.<ref>{{cite news |date=2020-10-05 |title=Third-culture breakfast: Asia-inspired morning feasts from Hetty McKinnon |url=http://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/oct/06/third-culture-breakfast-asia-inspired-morning-feasts-from-hetty-mckinnon |access-date=2020-12-15 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> In Japan, whole seeds are found in many salads and baked snacks, and tan and black sesame seed varieties are roasted and used to make the flavouring ''[[gomashio]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barnaby |first=Karen |title=Cultivating the savoury sprinkle |url=https://vancouversun.com/life/food/recipes/karen-barnaby-cultivating-the-savoury-sprinkle |publisher=Vancouver Sun |access-date=20 December 2024 |date=21 April 2019}}</ref> Ground black sesame and rice form [[zhimahu]], a Chinese dessert and breakfast dish.<ref>{{Cite book |last=牛奶 |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/952301549 |title=新媳妇私房菜 |date=2011 |publisher=Hu nan ke xue ji shu chu ban she |isbn=978-7-5357-6124-8 |oclc=952301549}}</ref> The seeds and oil are used extensively in India, where sesame seeds mixed with heated [[jaggery]], sugar, or palm sugar are made into balls and bars similar to peanut brittle or nut clusters and eaten as snacks, such as ''[[chikki]]''.<ref name=Chitrodia>{{cite web |last=Chitrodia |first=Rucha Biju |title=A low-cal twist to sweet sensations |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/A-low-cal-twist-to-sweet-sensations/articleshow/3901919.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023195025/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-12-28/mumbai/27894010_1_refined-sugar-sugar-substitutes-jaggery |url-status=live |archive-date=23 October 2012|work=[[The Times of India]] |date=28 December 2008 |access-date=19 August 2012}}</ref>

Sesame is a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine. The seeds are made into ''[[tahini]]'' paste and sweet ''[[halva]]''. It is a common component of the [[Levantine cuisine|Levantine]] spice mixture ''[[za'atar]]'', popular throughout the Middle East.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thekitchn.com/inside-the-spice-cabinet-zaatar-seasoning-blend-82566 |title=Inside the Spice Cabinet: Za'atar Seasoning Blend |website=Kitchn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/zaatar-middle-eastern-spice-mixture-2355844 |title=Make Your Own Za'atar Spice Mix and Kick the Flavor Up a Notch |website=The Spruce Eats}}</ref>

In Southern Italian cuisine, traditional sesame seed confections are one of many culinary remnants of the [[Muslim Sicily|Arabic period]]. These include a brittle-style [[Turrón|torrone]] served at Christmas known as [[giurgiulena]] (from the Arabic ''juljulàn'') and a lightly sweet, seed-covered biscuit called <span lang="it" dir="ltr">[[Biscotti regina|reginelle]]</span> or <span lang="it" dir="ltr">sesamini</span>.<ref>{{Citation |title=ciciulena |date=2024-03-14 |work=Wiktionary, the free dictionary |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ciciulena#Sicilian |access-date=2025-05-17 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Biscotto regina |date=2024-12-01 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscotto_regina |access-date=2025-05-17 |language=it}}</ref> Similar sweets are found in neighboring cultures throughout the Mediterranean.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Story of Biscotti Regina |url=https://www.manimanuzzi.com/blog/the-story-of-biscotti-regina |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Mani Manuzzi-Italian cakes, cookies, and more |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Sesame oil]] is sometimes used [[cooking oil|for cooking]], though not all varieties are suitable for high-temperature [[frying]]. The "toasted" form of the oil (as distinguished from the "cold-pressed" form) has a distinctive pleasant aroma and taste, and is sometimes used as a table [[condiment]].<ref name=Andriani>{{Cite web |title=Sesame Oil, Explained: What's the Difference Between Toasted and Untoasted? |last=Andriani |first=Lynn |website=Martha Stewart |date=29 March 2019 |url= https://www.marthastewart.com/1537985/sesame-oil-about-toasted-untoasted}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=160 heights=160>
File:Sesame oil.jpg |[[Sesame oil]]
File:HK KTD 觀塘道 414 Kwun Tong Road One Pacific Centre shop 海港酒家 Victoria Harbour Restaurant food dim sum 煎堆 sesame ball 飲茶 morning tea April 2023 Px3 02.jpg |''[[Jian dui]]'' covered with sesame seeds
File:Goma dango 002.jpg |''[[Dango]]'' with sweet sesame seed sauce
File:EgFoodTahina.jpg |[[Tahini]] made of sesame seed paste
File:PikiWiki Israel 14731 Sesame Baskets.JPG |Sesame seeds are often added to baked goods and confectionery
File:Khao phan nga muan.jpg |Rolled ''khao phan'' with black sesame seeds
File:Bread Sticks With Sesame.jpg |Sesame seed breadsticks
File:"A Gingelly cake".jpg |Sesame sweet cake
File:Sesame Seed Ball (Candy).jpg |Sesame seed ball confection
File:Til-Patti 2.jpg |''Til-patti'' – a sesame brittle-type confection from India
File:Athens15 tango7174.jpg |''[[Simit]]'', ''koulouri'', or ''gevrek'', a ring-shaped bread coated with sesame seeds
File:Halva 12-2015.jpg |[[Halva]], Turkey
File:Potato bourekas.jpg |Typical [[Israeli cuisine |Israeli]] [[Bourekas]] with sesame seeds
</gallery>