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Sesame

Sesamum indicum
Sesamum indicum
Did you know that… ?
  1. …Indian sesame belongs among the oldest known cultivated plants in the world?
  2. …sesame has no aroma and has a nutty, slightly sweet taste?
  3. …ground roasted sesame seeds mixed with sugar are used to make halva, a sweet confection popular in the Middle East, and a similar pastry is made in India?
  4. …ground, unroasted white sesame seeds are used to make Tahini, an ingredient in Middle East cooking?
  5. …sesame salt, called Gomasio is a mixture of roasted, ground sesame seeds and sea salt?
  6. …in central Europe, sesame is added to breads, buns, muesli and bread sticks?
  7. …because sesame is high in calcium and many essential oils, it is recommended as a preventative against osteoporosis?
  8. …sesame seeds are up to 57% oil, one of the highest quality food oils, with very healthy effects?
  9. …sesame as a spice consists of the whole or ground dried seed of the Sesamus indicum plant?
Sesam seeds
Recipe

Gomasio

s100 g sesame seeds
1 teaspoon oil, salt

Coarsely grind and roast sesame seeds in oil and salt. Sprinkle mixture on vegetable salads, cottage cheese and salty yogurt dishes, onto open-face sandwiches and spreads, salty cereal mush, egg dishes, mayonnaise salads and so on.

Story

Sesame has been cultivated for centuries in countries between the Euphrates and Tigris, in India and Africa. It quickly spread in China, Japan and lands around the Mediterranean. According to Hindu mythology, sesame is a spice blessed by the gods and symbolizes eternal life. In ancient China, sesame was considered so valuable that pregnant or nursing women got a dose of sesame even during the greatest famines.