Sensational Sesame Seed

July 2001

Sensational Sesame Seed

Few products in common usage today can claim a history that predates the creation of the world. But the ancient Assyrians recorded stories of their gods drinking sesame wine the night before they created the earth.Sesame seed may be the oldest spice known to man, though most of its earliest usage seems to have been as a vegetable oil or wine rather than as a spice. Numerous archeological digs have found evidence that sesame oil was used thousands of years before Christ. The Babylonians made sesame cakes, wine and brandy; and used the oil for cooking, as a medicinal (including as an antidote for reptile-bite injuries), and for toiletries, such as perfume.Many years later, African slaves brought sesame seeds and oil to America. In the Bantu dialect, this product was known as benne, and to this day, benne is what sesame seeds are called in cities like Charleston, SC, and New Orleans.What are sesame seeds?Sesame seeds, or Sesamum indicum, come from a tall annual herb in the Pedaliacae family. The hairy, single-stalk plant may grow 7-ft. tall, but 2 to 6 ft. is typical. Its precise origin is unknown, but various authorities believe it’s native to Africa, India, Afghanistan and Indonesia. Sesame grows well in fertile, well-drained soil, and is cultivated in warm climates throughout the world.Sesame seeds are oval-shaped and covered by a fibrous hull that may range in color from yellowish-white to red and brown to black, and average 1/8-in. long by 1/20-in. thick, depending on variety. Seeds imported to the United States, however, usually are light tan. Hulled seeds are pearly white and glossy.Open sesameOil content is important to the sesame industry, and most sesame varieties yield between 50% and 60% high-quality oil. Sesame ranks sixth in world production of edible oil seeds. Sesame oil has a favorable fatty-acid profile, is low in saturated fat, characteristically devoid of trans-fat isomers and contains antioxidants that help maintain oil stability. Sesame is also comparatively high in calcium and vitamin B.In addition to oil, sesame seed is roughly 25% to 30% high-quality protein, including sulfur-based amino acids, such as methionine and cystine, two amino acids lacking in many other vegetable sources. The residue from pressed sesame seed is a high-protein “cake.” This cake is used to produce sesame flour, which has many functional-food applications. Adding sesame flour to breakfast bars, instant breakfast drinks and similar nutritional snacks, for instance, can increase protein content.Sesame-seed sourcesWorldwide, an estimated 4 billion pounds of sesame seeds are produced annually. Most of the seeds are used to make oil, which most often is consumed in the producing country. Traditionally, major sesame-seed producers are located in countries where labor is least costly, due to the amount of hand labor required for harvesting.Currently, the United States imports its sesame-seed supply from 12 countries. Principal sources include Mexico, Latin America (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Venezuela and El Salvador) and India, with Texas and Oklahoma serving as major U.S. producers.Buying and using sesame seedsBuyers may choose between unhulled and hulled product. Unhulled sesame seed is called “natural.”Today, sesame seeds are appearing on and in countless products. Bakeries, and health- and snack-food manufacturers use natural sesame seeds for baked goods. For applications where the seeds coat a product, natural seed often sticks better. Unhulled sesame seeds also can prolong shelf life by keeping the oil stable, and because there is no processing, natural seed is less expensive.Hulled sesame seed is used widely in the United States — on hamburger buns, and other bread and cracker products. It also is used to make tahini paste, and is the principal ingredient in the Middle Eastern sesame specialty confection, halvah.Specifications for natural sesame should concentrate on color, cleanliness and dryness. Color should be as even as possible. Mottled hulls are fine for oil extraction, but not desirable as toppings. When buying pale-colored seeds, fewer dark seeds equates to higher quality. And if purchasing natural seed for hulling, bigger equals better.Hulled sesame seed should be white, clean and dry without any oily residue (something that can occur after processing). And again, the fewer dark seeds, the better.While dark seeds often are undesirable, there is an oriental product with uniformly black hulls that is hard to find in this country, except at ethnic groceries. However, it is regarded highly in Japan and China for its flavor. Mexico and Latin America produce “sweet sesame” varieties, and U.S. candy makers are the prime customers for this product.In the United States, sesame oil is considered a specialty salad and cooking oil, with two major types — a cold-pressed product that has a clear, golden color and bland taste, and an oriental product made by roasting the seeds before pressing. The oriental oil is dark-colored and has a very strong flavor.Handling sesame seedsNatural sesame seed will keep well at ambient temperatures for up to two years. Hulled seeds, however, have a much shorter shelf life. In hot weather, they may be cold-stored to guard against rancidity, but for typical food-manufacturing needs, storage life should not be a problem. Sesame oil is exceptionally stable, resisting oxidation and rancidity better than many vegetable oils. As with other spices, incoming shipments should be dated upon arrival and held on raised platforms in a well-ventilated area, away from outside walls.

Spice Rack is based on the American Spice Trade Association's What You Should Know informational series on spices. For more information, call 201-568-2163, or visit www.astaspice.org.

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