Sesame is a spice of ancient origins, and is one of the first known plants to be used for its seeds. It has been used for thousands of years and is still widely popular in a variety of cuisines such as Asian, Greek, French, Middle Eastern and more. Read on to learn more about this tiny little seed and how to use it in your cooking.

A little bit about black sesame seeds

Sesame seeds are contained in the pods of a tropical plant before they burst open to reveal the tiny, oval seeds we are familiar with in our pantry. Here are the things to remember when cooking with black sesame seeds:

• Gentle, nutty flavour which becomes more pronounced when lightly toasted on a low heat for a few minutes (you will know they are ready when they start to jump).
• Slightly stronger in flavour to their white, yellow and red seed counterparts.
• Add great colour and a slight crunch to a dish and sesame also happens to have one of the highest oil contents of any seeds and finds value in its resistance to rancidity.

Get started with sesame seeds

Black sesame seeds are often used whole and are perfect for stir-fries, dry fried and sprinkled as a bread topping, used in Asian cuisine or added to salads. Use them to crust fresh tuna steaks then sear briefly, or toast them, then blitz and use in ice cream. Here are four recipes using black sesame seeds to get you started:

An interesting fact — It is said the that the saying “Open Sesame” is derived from the sound the sesame pod makes when it bursts open, a popping noise akin to an opening lock. Now you know.