What does a Sesame seed grow into? I don't know; we never gave them a chance!

“I think they could take Sesame seeds off the market and I wouldn't even care. I can't imagine five years from now saying, ‘Damn, remember Sesame seeds? What happened? All the buns are blank!’” - Mitch Hedberg

Although I enjoy this late comedian’s act, I can hardly disagree more with this statement! Sesame seeds?! Who will miss them? Everyone!! When I first heard this, I gave a laugh and thought, “oh, that is so true.” But, upon further reflection, two things I use quite frequently … sesame seed oil for cooking and flavor, as well as tahini to make hummus.

Sesame oil is flavorful and a great substitute when you want a different flavor. It’s great to sauté bok choy with garlic. Or, sauté tofu in an asian style dish. You can also just drizzle it over some cooked greens and you are good to go! As for tahini, it’s the Arabic word for sesame paste. The paste is made from lightly roasted sesame seeds and is used as one of the main ingredients in hummus, right behind chickpeas!

Upon giving it a quick google, some other common types of uses are found – breads, bagels, tops of buns, in cracker sticks, sprinkled on sushi. They come in a range of colors from brown to red, black to white and have a nutty taste.

One website even provides the tale behind the phrase “open sesame.” Apparently, when they are ripe, sesame seeds burst open quite easily and at the slightest touch. So, this is played upon in the story Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Ali Baba is out in the forest when he learns by overhearing thieves that there is treasure in a cave. The words to open the cave are “open sesame,” and when the thieves leave the area, he uses those words to get in and take some treasure home. The story doesn’t have a terribly happy middle or ending, but a phrase was born. Like the sesame seed, the cave doors were easily opened with a simple phrase.

In real life it is a flowering plant that grows seeds in pods. The actual sees is roughly 1/8 of an inch in length and only 1/20 of an inch wide. It is amazing that such a small seed can be cultivated in such high quantities to make the products that we know and love.

So, I say, let’s keep the sesame seeds please!

“What does a Sesame seed grow into? I don't know; we never gave them a chance!” - Mitch Hedberg