Sesame

Sesame (; Sesamum indicum) is a plant in the genus Sesamum, also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India.

The fruit is a capsule, normally pubescent. The length of the fruit capsule varies from , its width varies between ; there are four locules. The seeds are either white or black.

Sesame seeds are small. Their sizes vary widely by cultivar. Typically, the seeds are 3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 in). The seeds are ovate, slightly flattened, and somewhat thinner at the eye of the seed (hilum) than at the opposite end. The mass of 100 seeds sampled from a market in Ibadan, Nigeria is .

File:Sesamum indicum 2.jpg |Plant

File:Sasame Plant, Behbahan.jpg |Flowers and seed capsules on plant

File:Sesame in Hainan - 05.JPG |Seed capsule

File:Sa white sesame seeds.jpg |Magnified image of white sesame seeds

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Taxonomy

Sesame was described as the species Sesamum indicum by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

Etymology

The word "sesame" is from Latin sesamum and Greek σήσαμον: sēsamon; which in turn are derived from ancient Semitic languages such as Akkadian šamaššamu. From these roots, words with the generalized meaning "oil, liquid fat" were derived.

The specific epithet indicum means of India.

The word "benne" was first recorded in English in 1769; it comes from the African American creole Gullah benne, which in turn derives from Malinke bĕne. The genus has many species, and most are wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. Sesamum indicum, the cultivated type, originated in India. The archaeobotanist Dorian Q. Fuller  states that trading of sesame between Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent occurred by 2000 BC. It is possible that the Indus Valley civilization exported sesame oil to Mesopotamia, where it was known as ilu in Sumerian and ellu in Akkadian, similar to the Dravidian languages Kannada and Malayalam eḷḷu, Tamil eḷ.

Sesame was cultivated in ancient Egypt. Egyptians called it sesemt, and it is included in the list of medicinal drugs in the scrolls of the 1550 BC Ebers Papyrus. Excavations of King Tutankhamen uncovered baskets of sesame among other grave goods, suggesting that sesame was present in Egypt by 1350 BC. Sesame was grown and pressed to extract oil at least 750 BC in the empire of Urartu.

Historically, sesame was favored for its ability to grow in areas that do not support the growth of other crops. It is a robust crop that needs little farming support—it grows in drought conditions, in high heat, with residual moisture in soil after monsoons are gone or even when rains fail or when rains are excessive. It can be grown by subsistence farmers at the edge of deserts, earning it the name of survivor crop from the sesame breeder Derald Ray Langham.

Agriculture

Cultivation

Sesame varieties have adapted to many soil types. The high-yielding crops do best on fertile, well-drained, soils with a neutral pH. However, these have a low tolerance for soils with high salt and water-logged conditions. Commercial sesame crops require 90 to 120 frost-free days. Warm conditions above favor growth and yields. While sesame crops can grow in poor soils, the best yields come from properly fertilized farms.

Flowering depends on photoperiod and cultivar. The photoperiod also affects the seed's oil content: increased photoperiod increases oil content. The oil content of the seed is inversely proportional to its protein content.

Since sesame seed is small and flat, it is hard to dry after harvest because the seeds pack closely together, impeding the flow of air in a drying bin. Therefore, the harvested seeds need to be as dry as possible, and then stored at 6% moisture or less. Moist seed stores can rapidly heat up and become rancid.

Production

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:12em; text-align:center;"

|+ Sesame seed production

| ||866,111

| ||720,000

| ||626,173

| ||450,000

| ||435,455

| ||272,201

| World ||6,681,657

|colspan=2 |

In 2024, world production of sesame seeds was 6.7 million tonnes, led by India, Myanmar, and Sudan, which together accounted for 33% of the total (table).

In the United States most sesame is raised by farmers under contract to Sesaco, which also supplies proprietary seed.

Trade

Japan is the world's largest sesame importer. Sesame oil, particularly from roasted seed, is an important component of Japanese cooking and traditionally the principal use of the seed. China is the second-largest importer of sesame, mostly oil-grade. China exports lower-priced food-grade sesame seeds, particularly to Southeast Asia. Other major importers are the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Turkey, and France.

Sesame seed is a high-value cash crop. Prices ranged between US$ between 2008 and 2010. Prices depend on perceived quality, based on factors such as the seed's appearance, freedom from impurities, oil content of at least 40%, and sorting by size and colour. The seeds contain the lignans sesamolin, sesamin, pinoresinol, and lariciresinol.

Health effects

A meta-analysis showed that sesame consumption produced small reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure; another demonstrated improvement in fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c. Sesame oil studies reported a reduction of oxidative stress markers and lipid peroxidation.

Possible harms

Allergy

Sesame can trigger the same allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, as seen with other food allergens. A cross-reactivity exists between sesame and peanuts, hazelnuts and almonds. In addition to food products derived from sesame seeds, such as tahini and sesame oil, persons with sesame allergies are encouraged to be aware of foods that may contain sesame, such as baked goods. In addition to food sources, individuals allergic to sesame have been warned that a variety of non-food sources may also trigger a reaction to sesame, including cosmetics and skin-care products.

Canada requires sesame to be labelled as an allergen. In the United States, the FASTER Act mandated labeling from 2023.

Contamination

Contamination by Salmonella, E.coli, pesticides, or other pathogens may occur in large batches of sesame seeds, such as in September 2020 when high levels of a common industrial compound, ethylene oxide, was found in a 250-tonne shipment of sesame seeds from India. After detection in Belgium, recalls for dozens of products and stores were issued across the European Union, totaling some 50 countries. Regular governmental food inspection for sesame contamination, as for Salmonella and E. coli in tahini, hummus or seeds, has found that poor hygiene practices during processing are common sources and routes of contamination.

Culinary use

Sesame seed is a common ingredient in many cuisines. Sesame seeds were brought into 17th-century colonial America by enslaved West Africans. 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. After arriving in North America, the plant was grown by slaves as a subsistence staple to supplement their weekly rations. 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.

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. Ground black sesame and rice form zhimahu, a Chinese dessert and breakfast dish. 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.

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 spice mixture za'atar, popular throughout the Middle East.

In Southern Italian cuisine, traditional sesame seed confections are one of many culinary remnants of the Arabic period. These include a brittle-style torrone served at Christmas known as giurgiulena (from the Arabic juljulàn) and a lightly sweet, seed-covered biscuit called reginelle or sesamini. Similar sweets are found in neighboring cultures throughout the Mediterranean.

Sesame oil is sometimes used 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.

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 Bourekas with sesame seeds

File:Black sesame.jpg|Black sesame seeds, not to be confused with nigella sativa