Sesame street

DIET

One of India's earliest exports comes into its own in the Indian winter.

Just as the olive gave the Western world its root words for “oil”, the sesame plant, or til, has given Indian languages their root word for oil: the Sanskrit tail. It’s an ancient association, older even than civilisation. Scientists have traced the origins of the sesame plant to India, so sesame is very likely one of the earliest Indian exports to take the world by storm; and India still grows more sesame than any other country.

Sesame seeds have been found by archaeologists at Harappa and other Indus sites, dating to 4,000 years ago and more. Sesame also turned up in Babylon, where written sources record that women ate sesame seeds and honey for youth and beauty.

The English word “sesame” itself owes its origin to the Assyrian shawash-shammu. And, many centuries later, Roman soldiers on campaign chewed a similar mix of sesame seeds and honey in the form of a wafer (a version of the modern protein bar), for strength and energy.

In Indian homes, sesame oil long ruled the roost as the cooking oil of choice. Only in recent decades have other oils, from plants like mustard and sunflower, seized the top spots. Sesame is a symbol of immortality in Hindu tradition, and very auspicious, so its oil was considered the second-most appropriate fuel for use in religious rituals — after ghee, of course. Heating the oil for cooking, though, damages some of the polyunsaturated fats that makes the oil so healthy.

The oil also goes onto the skin: in Tamil Nadu, a sesame oil massage followed by a bath is considered a weekly staple, and is said to reduce body “heat” during the hot and humid summer months. The oil is also used as a mouthwash, because a sesame gargle after brushing one’s teeth is said to protect the gums and clear away plaque.

In parts of India where winters are longer and cooler, however, a lot of sesame-based sweets and chutneys are eaten to boost heat. Think of the north Indian gajak, a very common and much loved sweet snack, eaten by the fistful in the cold season.

As for more “modern” foods, well, you can see sesame seeds atop buns, bagels and breads of all kinds. Sushi, too, can be enriched by the nutty flavour of a sprinkling of sesame seeds.