Tahini
Tahini is a smooth or coarse paste made by grinding sesame seeds. It is used in savory dishes, sauces, and sweets.
Sesame: Sesame is an oil-rich seed used whole, ground, or pressed for food and oil. Tahini is made by grinding sesame seeds.
Hummus: Hummus is a dip or spread made chiefly from chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic. Tahini contributes its nutty flavor and creamy texture to a widely known pairing.
Sesame domestication: Sesame domestication is the cultivation and selection of sesame as a food and oil crop. Tahini depends on a crop grown for its flavorful, oil-rich seeds.
Peanut butter: Peanut butter is a paste made by grinding roasted peanuts, sometimes with added salt, sugar, or oil. It resembles tahini in form but uses peanuts rather than sesame and has a different flavor.
Sesame oil: Sesame oil is a cooking oil extracted from sesame seeds. The seeds’ oil gives tahini much of its richness and influences how it separates.
Tahini sauce: Tahini sauce is a pourable condiment made by thinning tahini, often with water and lemon juice. Water transforms the dense paste into a sauce served with vegetables, grains, or meat.
Levantine cuisine: Levantine cuisine encompasses food traditions of the eastern Mediterranean, including Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. Tahini is a familiar ingredient in many dishes of the Levant.
Sunflower seed butter: Sunflower seed butter is a spread made by grinding sunflower seeds. It offers a sesame-free alternative with a distinct seed flavor.
Stone milling: Stone milling grinds food between rotating or stationary stone surfaces. Traditional stone grinding turns sesame into a paste while limiting heat.
Halva: Halva is a family of dense sweets; sesame-based versions combine tahini with sugar or syrup. Sesame halva turns tahini into a firm, crumbly confection.