We use Tahini in our crafted products, and it’s always at the front and center of our dining events. Tahini is made from roasted and grounded sesame seeds - one of the oldest crops known to humanity. Commonly grown in the Middle East, no wonder sesame butter became a staple in the region’s cuisines. Tahini is a good source of plant-based fat, rich in protein, and packed with vitamins and important minerals. While it made its way to the western mainstream as a key ingredient in hummus, this rich, creamy, nutty-flavored paste has plenty more, even better, ways to shine.
Check out our recipes page and learn how one ingredient can bring so many tastes to the plate.
The word tahini is derived from the Arabic word tahina, which means "to grind". Processing tahini required multiple stages of work (let alone the labor intense harvesting of the sesame seeds, which is entirely manual to this day). The sesame seeds are soaked in water to remove the kernels, then toasted, and pressed to produce an oily paste. It is much more difficult to process tahini than sesame oil, which is extracted from the sesame seeds and was in use thousands of years before the first tahini appeared. No wonder tahini initially was identified with those who have money and can afford to indulge.
Photos: Making Tahini with traditional millstones at Al Yasmin in Abu Ghosh, near Jerusalem.
