Sesame / Sesamum indicum

Sesame seeds taste slightly sweetish, slightly nutty.

The small, flat seeds come from a one-year, about 50 cm tall plant that belongs to the Pedaliaceae, an exotic plant family. Their home is the tropics, especially in East Africa and India, it is native. Leaves and flowers are similar to those of the thimble. They bloom white or burgundy and then produce fruit capsules that contain, depending on the variety, white-yellow, black, red or brown sesame seeds. The seeds are dried after harvest.

Sesame is the oldest cultivated plant in the world, grown mainly for its oil content. Already at the time of the Pharaohs the Egyptians made flour from it, in China over 2000 years ago from the soot, which originates from the 01, ink was manufactured. The Romans and Greeks scattered the seeds over their bread and their pastries and made a paste (Tahina or Tahin), which is still popular in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.