Sesame Seeds #1

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Sesame Seeds #1

Source: www.homecooking.about.com

 

The earliest recorded spice:

 

No need to shout " Open sesame! " to get to the magical flavor of sesame

seeds. Sesame seeds are believed to be one of the first condiments as well

as one of the first plants to be used for edible oil.

 

Sesame seed history

 

The English term sesame traces back to the Arabic simsim, Coptic semsem, and

and early Egyptian semsent (the latter being listed in the Ebers Papyrus, a

65-feet-long scroll listing ancient herbs and spices discovered by the

famous German Egyptologist, Ebers). The earliest recorded use of a spice -

sesame seed - comes from an Assyrian myth which claims that the gods drank

sesame wine the night before they created the earth. Sesamum indicum,

(indicum meaning from India) is native to the East Indies. Usage dates back

to 3000 B.C. Over 5,000 years ago, the Chinese burned sesame oil not only as

a light source but also to make soot for their ink-blocks. African slaves

brought sesame seeds, which they called benné seeds, to America, where they

became a popular ingredient in Southern dishes. Through the ages, the seeds

have been a source of food and oil. Sesame seed oil is still the main source

of fat used in cooking in the Near and Far East.

 

Sesame seed lore

 

Probably the most widely-known reference is " Open sesame, " the magic words

used by Ali Baba to open the treasure cave in the classic tale The Thousand

and One Nights. Sesame was so well-known and common to the Arabs, it was

suggested that this phrase would quickly be forgotten because it was so

common. Other interpretations suggest the phrase comes from the manner in

which the sesame seed pods burst open with a pop much like the sudden pop of

a lock springing open.