Data source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 170150 (Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, dried).
Fun facts
- Whole sesame seeds have 975mg of calcium per 100g, the most of any bean, nut or seed in this dictionary, plus 14.6mg of iron. Most of the calcium sits in the hull, so hulled sesame has much less.
- Sesame is also rich in fat: 49.7g of fat and 573 kcal per 100g. Luckily, we only sprinkle a spoonful or two at a time.
- The magic words "Open sesame!" from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves made the humble sesame seed famous around the world.
- Sesame appears in 182 kOBE recipes, the most of any bean, nut or seed. Vietnamese cooks use it in sesame salt, black sesame sweet soup, sesame rice crackers and Hue's chewy sesame candy.
Choosing and storing
Whether white or black, choose dry, even seeds with no clumps and no stale oil smell. Toasted sesame goes rancid faster than raw, so toast only enough for a week or two and store it in a sealed glass jar. If you keep raw sesame for a long time, store it in the fridge.
Cooking it well
Toast sesame in a dry pan over low heat, stirring constantly, until the seeds start to pop and smell nutty, then tip them onto a plate right away because the hot pan keeps cooking them. Lightly crushing or grinding releases even more aroma. A spoonful of toasted sesame in a dressing makes a plate of greens richer and more fragrant; see Eating salad with no dressing?. At kOBE, our Sesame Kale is massaged with sesame oil and toasted sesame, namul style.
