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Sesame
Sesame (/ˈsɛsəmi/; Sesamum indicum) is a plant in the genus Sesamum, also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. World production in 2018 was 6 million tonnes (5.9 million long tons), with Sudan, Myanmar, and India as the largest producers.
Sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, domesticated well over 3,000 years ago. Sesamum has many other species, most being wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. S. indicum, the cultivated type, originated in India. It tolerates drought conditions well, growing where other crops fail. Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. With a rich, nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines around the world. Like other foods, it can trigger allergic reactions in some people and is one of the nine most common allergens outlined by the Food and Drug Administration.
The word "sesame" is from Latin sesamum and Greek σήσαμον: sēsamon; which in turn are derived from ancient Semitic languages such as Akkadian šamaššamu. From these roots, words with the generalized meaning "oil, liquid fat" were derived.
The word "benne" was first recorded in English in 1769; it comes from the African American creole Gullah benne, which in turn derives from Malinke bĕne.
Sesame seed is considered to be the oldest oilseed crop known to humanity. The genus has many species, and most are wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. Sesamum indicum, the cultivated type, originated in India.
Archaeological remnants of charred sesame dating to about 3500–3050 BC shows that sesame was domesticated in the Indian subcontinent at least 5500 years ago. The archaeobotanist Dorian Q. Fuller states that trading of sesame between Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent occurred by 2000 BC. It is possible that the Indus Valley civilization exported sesame oil to Mesopotamia, where it was known as ilu in Sumerian and ellu in Akkadian, similar to the Dravidian languages Kannada and Malayalam eḷḷu, Tamil eḷ.
Sesame was cultivated in ancient Egypt. Egyptians called it sesemt, and it is included in the list of medicinal drugs in the scrolls of the c. 1550 BC Ebers Papyrus. Excavations of King Tutankhamen uncovered baskets of sesame among other grave goods, suggesting that sesame was present in Egypt by 1350 BC. Sesame was grown and pressed to extract oil at least 750 BC in the empire of Urartu. Others believe it may have originated in Ethiopia.
Historically, sesame was favored for its ability to grow in areas that do not support the growth of other crops. It is a robust crop that needs little farming support—it grows in drought conditions, in high heat, with residual moisture in soil after monsoons are gone or even when rains fail or when rains are excessive. It can be grown by subsistence farmers at the edge of deserts, earning it the name of survivor crop from the sesame breeder Derald Ray Langham.
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Sesame
Sesame (/ˈsɛsəmi/; Sesamum indicum) is a plant in the genus Sesamum, also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. World production in 2018 was 6 million tonnes (5.9 million long tons), with Sudan, Myanmar, and India as the largest producers.
Sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, domesticated well over 3,000 years ago. Sesamum has many other species, most being wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. S. indicum, the cultivated type, originated in India. It tolerates drought conditions well, growing where other crops fail. Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. With a rich, nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines around the world. Like other foods, it can trigger allergic reactions in some people and is one of the nine most common allergens outlined by the Food and Drug Administration.
The word "sesame" is from Latin sesamum and Greek σήσαμον: sēsamon; which in turn are derived from ancient Semitic languages such as Akkadian šamaššamu. From these roots, words with the generalized meaning "oil, liquid fat" were derived.
The word "benne" was first recorded in English in 1769; it comes from the African American creole Gullah benne, which in turn derives from Malinke bĕne.
Sesame seed is considered to be the oldest oilseed crop known to humanity. The genus has many species, and most are wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. Sesamum indicum, the cultivated type, originated in India.
Archaeological remnants of charred sesame dating to about 3500–3050 BC shows that sesame was domesticated in the Indian subcontinent at least 5500 years ago. The archaeobotanist Dorian Q. Fuller states that trading of sesame between Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent occurred by 2000 BC. It is possible that the Indus Valley civilization exported sesame oil to Mesopotamia, where it was known as ilu in Sumerian and ellu in Akkadian, similar to the Dravidian languages Kannada and Malayalam eḷḷu, Tamil eḷ.
Sesame was cultivated in ancient Egypt. Egyptians called it sesemt, and it is included in the list of medicinal drugs in the scrolls of the c. 1550 BC Ebers Papyrus. Excavations of King Tutankhamen uncovered baskets of sesame among other grave goods, suggesting that sesame was present in Egypt by 1350 BC. Sesame was grown and pressed to extract oil at least 750 BC in the empire of Urartu. Others believe it may have originated in Ethiopia.
Historically, sesame was favored for its ability to grow in areas that do not support the growth of other crops. It is a robust crop that needs little farming support—it grows in drought conditions, in high heat, with residual moisture in soil after monsoons are gone or even when rains fail or when rains are excessive. It can be grown by subsistence farmers at the edge of deserts, earning it the name of survivor crop from the sesame breeder Derald Ray Langham.