Tahini (or "tehina"/"thina" in Arabic and Hebrew, "tahin" in Turkish, French, Dutch and Danish) is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It is a major ingredient in hummus and other dishes from the Middle East. It can be purchased fresh, in cans, in jars, or dehydrated. Tahini comes in two varieties — 'hulled' and 'unhulled'. Both types are relatively high in vitamins and proteins. Unhulled tahini is quite bitter but has a much higher proportion of vitamins, calcium, and protein because the sesame seeds are ground whole.

 Uses
As a spread, tahini can replace peanut butter on bread. Tahini paste is often used in a wide variety of dishes. It can be found in most Arabic restaurants as a side dish or as a garnish. It is often mixed with lemon juice, salt and garlic, then thinned with water to create a sauce. Tahini sauce is a popular condiment for meat and vegetables in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is also a main ingredient in soups, such as in the Greek tahinosoupa.

In Turkey, tahini mixed with Pekmez is common as a breakfast item, especially in winters.

Tahini is also the main ingredient in the Mediterranean type of halva.

Tahini is becoming more common in European cuisine and can be found as an ingredient in many pricey ready made supermarket sandwiches.

Sesame paste is also used in Japanese and other East-Asian cooking; the Japanese term for it is neri-goma. A popular dish mixes chopped boiled spinach, sesame paste, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Another dish, goma-dofu (胡麻豆腐), is a custard of sesame paste mixed with soymilk and thickened with agar-agar.