Boas Comidas

Glossário Culinário

Sesame

Ingrediente

Origem
from Africa and Asia
Também chamado de
sesame

Sesame is a small oilseed with a mild, slightly nutty flavor, widely used in Brazilian and international cooking to add texture, aroma and finish to breads, savory snacks and Asian dishes. It is sold hulled, unhulled, toasted or as a paste, and each form changes the flavor and function in the recipe.

Characteristics

Sesame is a small, oval, flattened seed found in cream, golden, brown and black colors. The unhulled version has stronger flavor and firmer texture, while the hulled version is softer and lighter. When toasted in a dry skillet or in the oven, sesame releases its natural oils and gains an intense toasty aroma. The paste made from the ground seed, known as tahini, has a creamy consistency and full flavor. Because it contains natural oils, sesame should be kept in a sealed container in a cool place so it does not go rancid.

Uses in the kitchen

  • Bread and snack topping: sprinkled over homemade breads, cheese bread (pão de queijo), sfihas and cookies before baking.
  • Tahini paste: the base of hummus, baba ghanoush, salad dressings and pâtés.
  • Dish finishing: sprinkled over salads, sautéed vegetables, rice and Asian noodles.
  • Breading and crusts: mixed with flour or breadcrumbs to bread chicken, fish and vegetables.
  • Sesame oil: the toasted kind is used in small amounts to flavor finished Asian dishes.

Substitutions

For topping and crunch, golden flaxseed or sunflower seeds work well on breads and salads, with similar texture. In creamy pâtés and sauces, unsweetened peanut butter or cashew cream give body similar to tahini, though the flavor turns out different. Anyone allergic to sesame should read labels carefully, as it shows up in breads, bars and factory-made sauces.

Fun facts

Black sesame is widely used in Japanese and Chinese cooking to decorate sushi, sweet breads and desserts, besides giving visual contrast to the dish. In Brazil, it appears both in homemade recipes, such as breads and savory peanut brittle (paçoca), and in dishes of Arab and Asian origin, such as sfihas and hummus. A practical tip is to toast a larger batch at once and keep it in a sealed container, since freshly toasted sesame has a far more striking aroma than raw.

Recipes with sesame

Português English Español