Black Sesame Seeds

Black  Sesame Seeds are the tiny dry seeds from the Sesamum Indicum plant. The world consumes huge amounts of sesame and with good reason – they’re delicious, full of omega 3 and fibre. You can often find Black Sesame Seeds on burger buns and other bakery goods, in tahini and soups, it is even great for making ice cream! They are popular in Japan where chefs use them to flavour and decorate delicate sushi dishes. Black Sesame Seeds have a deeper, smokier flavour than Hulled Sesame Seeds. Many people use them together in their foods for additional flavours and visual interest. The difference between the two varieties is whether or not the outer casing has been removed. Black are whole and as such have slightly more nutritional value, whereas white seeds are without the shell.

Food historians consider Sesame Seeds to be the oldest oilseed crop known to humankind. Remnants of charred sesame dating back to 3500 BCE suggest it was first cultivated in the Indian Subcontinent over 5 millennia ago. Sesame is also on a list of medicinal drugs from Ancient Egypt in scrolls from around 3600 years ago. Luckily, the plant grows where others struggle to, being a very robust plant and is a survivor crop if ever there was one.

As with all herbs and spices, add a little at a time to get the flavour you want. You can always add more, but taking it out again can be impossible!