 | | Name: | sesame_seed | | Plural names: | sesame_seeds |
| Description: | Sesame is grown primarily for its oil-rich seeds. The small, cream-white sesame seed is used whole in cooking for its rich nutty flavour (although such heating damages their health-giving poly-unsaturated fats), and also yields a cooking oil. Sesame seeds are sometimes added to bagels and the top of hamburger buns. Sesame seeds are baked into crackers, often in the form of sticks. Sesame plants are also known as til in Hindi and benne in some languages of Africa.
Sesame seeds can be made into a paste called tahini (used in hummus) and a Middle Eastern confection called halvah. In India, sections of the Middle East and East Asia, popular treats are made from sesame mixed with honey or syrup and roasted (called pasteli in Greece). Sesame oil was the preferred cooking oil in India till 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. 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
Japanese cuisine uses sesame seeds to make goma-dofu which is made from sesame paste and ivy root powder.
The seeds are rich in manganese, copper, and calcium (90 mg per tablespoon for unhulled seeds, only 10 mg for hulled seeds), and contain Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and Vitamin E (tocopherol). They contain powerful antioxidants called lignans, which are also anti-carcinogenic. They also contain phytosterols, which block cholesterol production. Sesame contains one lignan unique to it called sesamin. The nutrients of sesame seeds are better absorbed if they are ground or pulverised before consumption. |
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