By Scott Mechura EBS FOOD COLUMNIST
If I asked you to
think of foods you thought were universal, the ones that span cultures across
all continents, many of you would come up with similar ingredients. My guess is
some of these items might include garlic, onions, tomatoes and peppers and of
course, common proteins such as eggs, beef, pork and fish.
Think about the
last time you and your group of friends were deciding between Italian, Tex-Mex,
Chinese, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern or even Peruvian. The odds are high, no
matter what you decide, that many if not all of the aforementioned ingredients
were on the menu.
There’s one
ingredient that probably slipped under your radar. It is a bit more unique and
doesn’t always strike us as being truly global.
I’m talking about
sesame — most commonly, sesame seeds.
Discovered about
5,500 years ago and cultivated for 3,000 years, sesame is one of the oldest oilseed
crops in the world.
Sesame originated
in Sub-Saharan Africa, and archeologists have evidence of its first
domestication on the Indian subcontinent.
Farmers call it
the “survivor crop” for its ability to grow in conditions that would not
sustain most other plants and crops. For instance, it can grow in high wind,
low moisture areas and even during drought, then when rains and excessive
moisture come, it’s one the very few crops to survive these contradicting
conditions. Sesame’s ideal growing condition, though, is well-drained, fertile
soil with a neutral ph.
Sesame seeds do
not dry well in either natural or processing conditions. Their small, flat
shape and size mean they rest and store compactly, thus limiting airflow for
processed drying. This is why it’s important to pick them from the already
harvested plant when that plant is as dry as possible.
Sesame seeds are
in dishes on almost every continent. As a general rule, black sesame seeds are
more common in Far East cooking, while the white seem to be utilized more in
the Americas and Middle Eastern preparations.
Japan and China
are the world’s first and second largest importers, respectively. And their use
is overwhelmingly oil, rather than the seeds themselves. In Mexico, you will
find them in many mole sauce recipes. Mole dishes vary depending on the region,
but you’ll find sesame seeds in most of them.
Though China and
Japan utilize the oil far more extensively, the seeds and pastes are found in numerous
dishes, sushi rolls being an obvious use in Japan. In China, the seeds and
paste are in many cake preparations that date back well over 150 years.
Tahini, a
condiment made from toasted sesame seeds, has become popular throughout Europe
and America, but finds its roots in Eastern Mediterranean countries, such as
Iran and Turkey as well as North Africa, specifically Tunisia, Morocco and
Egypt.
In America these
seeds are as commonplace as the topping on hamburger buns.
However, we also
use it here in many other applications. Grinding the black seeds into a paste
with oil adds a dramatic color to a plate and has a great toasty nutty flavor,
and we use both black and white seeds to crust chicken or fish.
Go to a grocery
store deli counter full of salads and see how many of them have sesame seeds in
them.
And the next time
you are deciding where to have lunch or dinner, maybe the next time you travel
to a big city, odds are you’ll come across the versatile sesame seeds in your
dish.
Scott Mechura has spent a life in the
hospitality industry. He is a former certified beer judge and currently the executive
chef at Buck’s T-4 Lodge in Big Sky.