July 30

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What is Tahini? A Full Tahini Q&As Guide

By Mashav Shelef


*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. 

All your questions answered & how to use tahini to its full potential

What makes tahini so special that it took the world by a storm? Is it healthy? How to use it? How do sesame seeds become tahini? I’ll try to answer all these questions, plus, some great tahini recipes and my favorite flavor combinations. Everything you ever wanted to know, keep on reading.

Intro

Tahini is a ubiquitous ingredient used in the Middle East, North Africa, and many other cuisines, and it’s an essential ingredient in many dishes like hummus, halva, baba ghanoush. Some call tahini “The mayonnaise of the Middle Eastern cuisine.”

As an Israeli, I can tell you that nothing says “Israeli food” more than tahini. It’s so widely used in the Israeli kitchen, and people are incredibly passionate about their tahini. With a big vegan community, Israel consumes even more tahini, which is why there’s a saying that “there’s no such thing as a bad dish, just not enough tahini.” The combination of date-syrup and pure tahini is like the Israeli version of PB&J.

Q&As

“Tahini” or “Tahina”? And what’s the meaning of tahini?

Tahini is the Americanized pronunciation of “Tahina” or “t’hine” which means grounded/milled/minced/crushed.

What are the health benefits of tahini?

Tahini is very healthy and considered a super-food. It’s high in protein (about 25%), It’s high in calcium (2 tablespoons of tahini are equal in calcium content to 1 cup of milk) and iron, it’s excellent for lactation and is an excellent source of unsaturated fatty acids that help with heart health. It’s also a great source of vitamin E, which benefits the skin, and it’s high in tryptophan, which in turn turns into melatonin and serotonin, which boosts our mood and lower anxiety. It acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. When using unhulled tahini, there is the added value of nutritional fibers as well.

Is tahini good for you?

Tahini is healthy when consumed in moderation, and contains a lot of nutrients, but it’s also very high in fat content (about 50% for the pure tahini paste). This makes it high in calories for its volume (595 calories / 100 grams). It’s an excellent source of unsaturated healthy fatty acids. Use it to flavor things up in small amounts, and you’ll enjoy the benefits without overdoing it.

What can I do with tahini?

Tahini is such a versatile ingredient. It can be used pure, straight out of the container (on charred grilled eggplants, for example), mixed with water and lemon into a spread, sauce, dressing, topping or dipping sauce, used to flavor anything from sandwiches to fish and meats or vegetables. It can be mixed in hummus to give it its unique character. It can be thinned down with citrus juice and yogurt to make a salad dressing. You can cook with it and use it as a warm sauce (like Saniya dish). You can use it for desserts and pastries like halva, cookies, ice cream, and mousse.Beef Kebab with green tahini

How do you make pure tahini from scratch?

By roasting and blending sesame seeds, you can make pure home-made tahini yourself. It’s not going to compare in flavor or nutritional value with the highest quality of pure tahini, so the best approach (if pure tahini paste is not available) is to prepare and use it as a sauce or dip. The easiest way to do so is to blend an equal amount of sesame seeds and water using a powerful blender (Vitamix or similar) and then seasoning it with lemon juice, salt, garlic, and herbs to taste:

Full instructions:
On a dry pan, roast 1 cup sesame seeds on low heat, moving the pan to avoid burning, for 2-4 minutes until the seeds release their oils. Transfer to the blender and add 2/3 cup water. Blend well at high speed and add the juice of half a lemon, one clove of garlic, and salt to taste. Blend again at high speed until creamy. Add up to 1/3 cup of water, little by little, until a smooth and silk. Season to taste.

Note: if you don’t have a powerful blender, do it in 2 phases: 1. roast the seeds and transfer them into a spice grinder and pulse until smooth. 2. transfer into a food processor or blender, gradually adding the water and seasoning.

Why does the tahini get crumbly and dry when mixed with water before it thins out?

The crumbliness effect is caused due to the fascinating property of the tahini paste. The paste is consisted of about 50% oils, which are hydrophobic particles, and 50% hydrophilic dry particles. When we add a small amount of water to the paste, the dry particles are attracted to the water particles. Still, there’s not enough of the water to coat all the dry particles, so they form into lumps, which we see as “getting crumbly and dry,” but in fact, it’s getting wetter than before. When enough water is mixed in, there are enough water particles to coat all the dry particles to make the mixture soluble

Does tahini need to be refrigerated?

Tahini sauce is best eaten right after mixing it and can last a few hours outside at room temperature. Don’t leave it overnight on the counter, though. It should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Storing durations:
• Up to a week for the plain tahini sauce.
• 3-4 days if mixed with yogurt or any dairy product.
• Up to 6 months after opening the package for pure tahini.

Can tahini go bad?

Pure tahini has a good shelf life and won’t spoil quickly. Its best stored in an airtight container in the fridge after opening. If tahini is omitting bad rancid smells or has noticeable green mold, it is not safe to consume.

Can tahini be frozen?

Yes, it can, in a sealed container, and then thawed slowly in the fridge two days before reuse. The consistency might change when it’s thawed, so I suggest adding a splash of water and whisk it again before using it.

What are some good Tahini alternatives?

It Depends on the recipe, but generally, sunflower seed butter is the best option. You can also use nut butter like almond butter, cashew butter, or smooth unsweetened peanut butter. You can combine one of these butter with a teaspoon of roasted sesame oil to make for a better substitute.

Where can I buy tahini? What is the best brand of tahini?

It’s easy to find in the international area in any supermarket, but not all tahini pastes are born equal. It’s hard to find good brands of tahini in regular supermarkets. If you can afford a special trip to an international market, they usually have more selection. Whole foods have their 365 home-brand tahini, which is pretty good (and made in Israel), and also Trader Joe’s organic tahini is a decent option. The best tahini available to buy from Amazon are these brands: Har Bracha, Al Arz, Alkanater, Baracke.tahini brands compared closeup

What the difference between hulled tahini, unhulled tahini, and sprouted tahini?

Hulled tahini is made with hulled sesame; it is lighter in color and makes for a smoother and creamier consistency, which is more commonly available.
Tahini paste that contains the peels of the seeds is called “unhulled tahini.” A good one is the Whole Sesame Al Arz Tahini. It is healthier since it contains more fiber and nutrients. To achieve this, the producer adds back the peels after extracting the oils. Sometimes they can go through a whole different process of pressing without hulling the seeds in the first place.
Sprouted tahini is newer to the market and harder to find. The sesame seeds are soaked and pre-sprouted to make for an even healthier and more nutrient-rich grain, and only then are they pressed to a paste. This process does affect the flavor and consistency of the tahini (for the better or worse, it’s a matter of taste).

Everything you need to know about the making process:

What are some types of sesame?

You probably know the typical white and the black varieties, but there are a lot of shades of sesame: golden, brown, off-white, reddish, and more. There are three main varieties of sesame, of which the Humera is the one grown in Ethiopia and mostly used for making tahini, giving it the sweet and nutty flavor we love. Other varieties are used in Lebanese tahini, giving it a more robust flavor.

White sesame and black sesame seeds.
White sesame and black sesame seed

How is sesame grown?

Sesame needs a warm and dry climate, and its crops are very stable through scorching and dry weather (link). It’s also natural pest-resistant, so that sesame corps don’t need pesticides and chemicals to protect it and thrive, and this is why it’s often organically grown.
The big issue growers have with sesame is that the sesame grows in capsules that burst open as soon as the seeds are ripe, scattering all the seeds around – this is where the notorious phrase “Open sesame!” originated.
This is the reason plants are all cut by hand when they’re still unripe and left to ripen in the capsules until they burst, to gain the most nutritional value. This makes growing sesame expensive and limits growing sesame in the USA and developed counties. Nowadays, most of the sesame is grown in Tanzania, India, Sudan, and Myanmar.

Flowers of sesame
Flowers of sesame

What is the process of soaking and hulling the sesame?

Soaking is an essential step of the process to make separating the seeds from the peels (hulls) easy. After soaking, hulling, separating, washing, and drying again (so many steps!), the sesame is ready for the rest of the tahini making process.

Is it essential to roast the sesame?

Not all tahini pastes are made from roasted sesame. When the roasting process is skipped, it is a Raw Tahini paste, which has a distinctively different flavor and consistency. The secret of good tahini lies in the roasting process. It requires a very gentle roasting in low temperatures to keep as much as the nutrients and avoid rancid and bitter flavors while retaining the bright light color of the seeds. This is the biggest differentiator of tahini brands and producers.

Roasted sesame
Roasted sesame

What’s the difference between cold-pressed vs. hot-pressed sesame?

Sesame was the first seed to be domesticated in the ancient world to produce oil. This is why the process is very similar to producing other quality oils; only in the tahini case, we’re leaving the solids with the oil and not separating the two at the end of the process.

The traditional way of pressing the sesame is by using a very slow millstone, but it can take hours to produce that way. Nowadays, there are industrial pressing machines that do the work faster. Similar to the producing of olive-oil, cold-pressing makes a more nutrient-rich and higher quality tahini. At the same time, hot-pressing extracts more oils from the seeds but compromises the quality. The reason is that the warm temperature causes all the nutrients to oxidize and diminish hence changing the molecular structure of the oils.

Favorite tahini flavor combinations:

  • Tahini + lemon + garlic + parsley
  • Tahini + honey + banana (or date syrup)
  • Tahini + dark chocolate
  • Tahini + lamb + pine nuts
  • Tahini + Lima beans + cilantro
  • Tahini + cauliflower + cherry tomato
  • Tahini + chicken + cumin + paprika
  • Tahini + yogurt + cucumber
  • Tahini + falafel + egg + eggplant

Tahini recipes:

Making tahini sauce is very easy. The pure tahini is mixed with water to create an emulation (similar to mayonnaise or vinaigrette). It’s flavored with salt, lemon, garlic, and other herbs and spices, to make it into a delicious sauce.
Here is a good basic Tahini sauce recipe:

Tahini ingredients ready to mix
Yield: Half a cup (enough for 2 people)

The Basic Hand-Mixed Tahini

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

When you only need half a cup of tahini for Friday night's dinner, or for a quick lunch or a salad dressing, the easiest approach is just to mix some tahini by hand. You need nothing but a mixing bowl and a whisk.

To make the sauce, the pure tahini is mixed with water and lemon juice, then it's seasoned with salt and voila - you've got a delicious and healthy sauce.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp pure tahini, best quality you can get
  • ½ lemon
  • Ice cold water
  • Fine salt

Instructions

  1. Squeeze half a lemon into a mixing bowl and add 3 tbsp of cold water.
  2. Pour the tahini paste into the bowl.
  3. Start whisking until the consistency is creamy and light in color. It can take a couple of minutes to form a good consistency.
  4. Add another 1-2 splashes of water if the consistency is too stiff and whisk again.
  5. If it's getting too thin, add another teaspoon of tahini and whisk again.
  6. Season well with salt and some more lemon juice until a good balance of acidity and saltiness is achieved.
  7. Ready to eat!

Notes

Make sure to mix the pure tahini well before using it because the oils can separate and surface to the top of the container (which is natural and still ok to use, don't worry!).

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1 grams

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 184Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 307mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.

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Tahini Recipes

Conclusion

Tahini is a pantry staple. Keep it at hand and you’ll always find ways to incorporate it into your cooking. It’s a great way to add flavor, creaminess, and plenty of nutrients to almost anything you can think of.

Do you love tahini? What’s your favorite way to use it in your cooking? Share in the comments below.

Mashav Shelef


I’m a trained chef, a food writer, a culinary traveler, a food explorer and a mom. My mission in life is to inspire and motivate people by helping them experience life through food.

Mashav Shelef

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  1. El tahini comercial se elabora típicamente con semillas de sésamo con cáscara blanca o semillas a las que se les ha quitado la cáscara. Esto le da al tahini un color más claro y una textura más suave.

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