Sesame butter - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Sesame butter is a food paste made from ground roasted sesame

Sesame

Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. 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....

seeds, popular in various cuisines, including in parts of Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

and The Middle East. It is mainly used as a sandwich

Sandwich

A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...

spread

Spread (food)

A spread is a food that is spread with a knife onto bread, crackers, or other bread products. Spreads are added to bread products to provide flavor and texture, and are an integral part of the dish, i.e. they should be distinguished from condiments, which are optional additions...

and as the main ingredient of dips such as Tahini

Tahini

Tahini or sesame paste , is a paste of ground sesame seeds used in cooking. North African, Greek and West Asian tahini is made of hulled, lightly roasted seeds. East Asian sesame paste is made of unhulled seeds. The Arabic word tahin simply means flour.Tahini is a major component of hummus and...

History

Sesame

is a flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

in the genus Sesamum

Sesamum

Sesamum is a genus of approximately 20 species in the flowering plant family Pedaliaceae. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with edible seeds. The best-known member of the genus is sesame, Sesamum indicum , the source of sesame seeds. The species are primarily African, with some species...

. It is widely grown around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. Sesame is the oldest known plant grown for its seeds and oil.

Tahini, which is made from sesame butter, is mentioned as an ingredient of hummus kasa, a recipe transcribed in an anonymous 13th century Arabic cookbook, Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada.

Variations

Most sesame butter brands include a single ingredient: crushed sesame seeds, but there are variations based on the source of the seeds. Organic sesame butter must include organic seeds. Whole sesame butter is made out of roasted sesame seeds, while regular sesame butter is made out of roasted hulled sesame seeds. Traditionally, sesame butter was made with millstones, which create smooth sesame butter that can be considered as unprocessed raw food, while modern manufacturers often use grinding machines that overheat the seeds.

Sesame butter and Tahini

Tahini

are often confused but they are not the same. While sesame butter is a pure spread made out of ground sesame seeds, tahini is mostly a dip or salad made out of sesame butter mixed with water, lemon juice, garlic and other spices.

Health

Health benefits

Sesame butter is a good source of copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

, iron

Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

and calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...

. Sesame butter is also rich in sesamin and sesamolin, which have been found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Sesame butter is also a good alternative for people with a peanut allergy

Peanut allergy

Peanut allergy is a type of food allergy distinct from nut allergies. It is a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction to dietary substances from peanuts causing an overreaction of the immune system which in a small percentage of people may lead to severe physical symptoms. It is estimated to affect...

Sesame Butter in Food Products

Sesame butter has been used in other food products for many years. There has been large development into sesame butter's use in other foodstuffs, some of which include ready made salads such as hummus

Hummus

Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the...

and tahini

Tahini

. Sesame butter is often placed on retail shelves next to Almond butter

Almond butter

Almond butter is a food paste made from almonds. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, which is a healthier form of fat than saturated fat. Almond butter is an excellent source of Vitamin E and magnesium and a good source of fiber. Almond butter also contains protein, potassium, calcium,...

External links

Nutrition Facts for Sesame Butter http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3142/2
Sesame Butter Photo Source http://sesame-butter.com/

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