tahini

{{Infobox food

| name = Tahini

| image = Tahina.JPG

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Tahini next to lemon and whole garlic

| alternate_name = Tahinia, tahin, tahina, tahine, etc.{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/tahini |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302061555/https://www.lexico.com/definition/tahini |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-02 |title=tahini |dictionary=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press}}{{Cite OED2 | tahina}}

| country =

| region = West Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, South Caucasus, parts of North Africa

| creator =

| course =

| type = Spread or dip, ingredient or filling in other dishes

| served =

| main_ingredient = Sesame seeds

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

Tahini ({{IPAc-en|t|ə|ˈ|h|iː|n|i|,_|t|ɑː|-}}) ({{Langx|ar|طحينة|lit=the meaning is derived from ground}}, or in Iraq: (rashi-راشي)) is a Middle Eastern condiment (a seed butter) made from ground sesame seeds.{{Cite web|title=Tahini {{!}} Definition of Tahini by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Tahini|url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/tahini|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315040002/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/tahini|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 March 2020|access-date=2021-01-11|website=Lexico Dictionaries {{!}} English|language=en}} The most common variety comes from hulled seeds, but unhulled ones can also be used;{{Cite news |last1=Blythman |first1=Joanna |last2=Sykes |first2=Rosie |last3=Sykes |first3=with recipe by Rosie |date=2013-03-23 |title=Why tahini is good for you |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/mar/23/good-for-you-tahini |access-date=2024-04-10 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} the latter variety is slightly bitter, but more nutritious. The seeds are more commonly roasted than raw. Tahini can be served by itself (as a dip), made into a salad dressing, or used as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva.

Tahini is used in the cuisines of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean, the South Caucasus, the Balkans, South Asia, Central Asia, and amongst Ashkenazi Jews as well as parts of Russia and North Africa. Sesame paste, used in some East Asian cuisines, may differ only slightly from tahini.

Etymology

Tahini is of Semitic origin and comes from a colloquial Levantine Arabic pronunciation of {{transliteration|ar|Wehr|ṭaḥīna}} ({{lang|ar|طحينة}}),{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|tahini|access-date=11 May 2019}}{{Cite web|title=Tahini definition and meaning {{!}} Collins English Dictionary|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/tahini|access-date=2021-01-11|website=www.collinsdictionary.com|language=en-US}} or more accurately {{transliteration|ar|Wehr|ṭaḥīniyya}} ({{lang|ar|طحينية}}), whence also English tahina and Hebrew ṭḥina {{lang|he|טחינה}}. It is derived from the root {{lang|ar|ط ح ن}} {{transliteration|ar|Ṭ-Ḥ-N}}, which as a verb {{lang|ar|طحن}} {{transliteration|ar|Wehr|ṭaḥana}} means "to grind",{{citation|title = The Middle Eastern Kitchen: A Book of Essential Ingredients with Over 150 Authentic Recipes, p.146 | author=Ghillie Basan, Jonathan Basan|publisher=Hippocrene Books|year=2006}}{{Cite web|title=Definition of TAHINI|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tahini|access-date=2021-01-11|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en}} and also produces the word {{lang|ar|طحين}} {{transliteration|ar|Wehr|ṭaḥīn}}, "flour" in some dialects. The word tahini had appeared in English by the late 1930s.Mariposa, Hollywood Glamour Cook Book, 1940, p. 101.Treasury decisions under customs and other laws, 1938, p. 1080 [https://books.google.com/books?id=SOwWAQAAIAAJ&q=tahini&dq=tahini snippet]

History

The oldest mention of sesame is in a cuneiform document written 4,000 years ago that describes the custom of serving the gods sesame wine. The historian Herodotus writes about the cultivation of sesame 3,500 years ago in the region of the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia. It was mainly used as a source of oil.{{cite web|last=Laniado |first=Limor |url=http://www.haaretz.com/culture/food-wine/be-merry-the-glory-of-tahini-1.361176 |title=The glory of tahini |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=12 May 2011 |access-date=18 January 2013}}

Tahini is mentioned as an ingredient of hummus kasa, a recipe transcribed in an anonymous 13th-century Arabic cookbook, Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada.{{cite web|title=Middle Eats: What are Lebanon's chances of legally laying claim to hummus?|author=Alice Fordham|publisher=NOW Lebanon|date=10 October 2008|url=http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=62188|access-date=25 November 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212214428/http://nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=62188|archive-date=12 December 2008}}

In his 14th-century work Kaftor va-Perach (Hebrew: כפתור ופרח), Ishtori Haparchi wrote that the inhabitants of the Land of Israel in his time consumed Tahini, made by grinding sesame seeds and mixing them with date honey.{{Cite journal |last=Amar |first=Zohar |date=1993 |title=Estori ha-Parchi and the Identification of the Flora of Eretz Israel |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23536280 |journal=Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies |language=he |volume=11 |pages=137 |jstor=23536280 |issn=0333-9068}}

Sesame paste is an ingredient in some Chinese and Japanese dishes; Sichuan cuisine uses it in some recipes for dandan noodles. Sesame paste is also used in Indian cuisine.Sanjeev Kapoor, Khazana of Indian Vegetarian Recipes, p. 94

In North America, sesame tahini, along with other raw nut butters, was available by 1940 in health food stores.

Preparation and storage

File:Hummus&ful.jpg and ful topped with tahini]]

Tahini is made from sesame seeds that are soaked in water and then crushed to separate the bran from the kernels. The crushed seeds are soaked in salt water, causing the bran to sink. The floating kernels are skimmed off the surface, toasted, and ground to produce an oily paste.{{cite book|first=Anissa|last=Helou|editor-first1=Alan|editor-last1=Davidson|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA802|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=802–803|date=2014|isbn=9780191040726|via=Google Books}} It can also be prepared with untoasted seeds and called "raw tahini".{{cite web|url=http://www.ochef.com/1285.htm |title=Refrigerated or Not, How Long Does Tahini Last? |publisher=Ochef |access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120025426/http://www.ochef.com:80/1285.htm|archive-date=20 January 2013}}{{Self published inline|date=January 2019}}{{Self published inline|date=January 2019}}

Because of tahini's high oil content, some manufacturers recommend refrigeration to prevent spoilage. Others do not recommend refrigeration, as it makes the product more viscous and more difficult to serve.

The color of the produced tahini is affected by the kind of sesame used, untoasted sesame produces a bright colored tahini, toasted or unshelled sesame produces tahini with a darker color, black sesame produces a tahini with a deep black color (dubbed "black tahini").{{cite web |last1=Shap |first1=Elana |title=It's about tradition, not trend for one Arab tahini maker |url=https://www.israel21c.org/its-about-tradition-not-trend-for-one-arab-tahini-maker/ |website=ISRAEL21c |access-date=11 May 2025 |date=28 December 2022}}

{{Nutritional value

| name =

| kJ = 2477

| carbs = 21.50 g

| sugars = 0.49 g

| fat = 53.01 g

| satfat = 7.423 g

| monofat = 20.016 g

| polyfat = 23.232 g

| protein = 17.40 g

| fiber = 4.7 g

| water = 3.00 g

| calcium_mg = 141

| iron_mg = 4.42

| phosphorus_mg = 790

| magnesium_mg = 95

| sodium_mg = 35

| potassium_mg = 459

| zinc_mg = 4.62

| vitC_mg = 4.2

| vitA_iu = 67

| thiamin_mg = 1.590

| riboflavin_mg = 0.120

| niacin_mg = 5.640

| vitB6_mg = 0.150

| folate_ug = 98

| note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/1100609/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]

}}

Nutrition

Tahini is 53% fat, 22% carbohydrates, 17% protein, and 3% water (table). In a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, it supplies 592 calories, and is a rich source of thiamine (133% of the Daily Value, DV), several dietary minerals (25-63% DV), niacin, and folate (25-35% DV, table). Tahini is a moderate source (10-19% DV) of calcium and potassium (table).

Culinary uses

Tahini-based sauces are common in Middle Eastern restaurants as a side dish or as a garnish, usually including lemon juice, salt, and garlic, and thinned with water. Hummus is made of cooked, mashed chickpeas typically blended with tahini, lemon juice and salt. Tahini sauce is also a popular topping for meat and vegetables in Middle Eastern cuisine. A sweet spread, ḥalawa ṭaḥīniyya ({{lang|ar|حلاوة طحينية}} "sweet tahini"), is a type of halva sweet. It sometimes has mashed or sliced pistachio pieces sprinkled inside or on top.

In many parts of the Middle East, it is spread on bread and eaten as a quick snack or breakfast. Alternatively, bread can be dipped into tahini sweetened by a syrup such as grape syrup, carob syrup, or date syrup; the sweetener may vary by region.{{cite book |last1=Kassis |first1=Reem |title=The Palestinian Table |date=23 October 2017 |publisher=Phaidon Press |isbn=978-0-7148-7496-8 |page=108 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Palestinian_Table/Pmm2tAEACAAJ |language=en}}

= For sweets =

Tahini is also used in sweet dishes like cakes, cookies, halva, and ice cream.{{cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Davidson (food writer) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA378 |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |publisher=Oxford University press |year=1999 |isbn=0-19-211579-0 |location=Oxford |pages=378}}{{Cite web |last=Akis Petretzikis LTD |title=Tahini ice cream |url=https://akispetretzikis.com/en/recipe/4938/pagwto-tachini |access-date=2024-04-11}}{{Cite web |last=Salamandra |title=Make a blissful cake of chocolate and tahini |url=https://www.israel21c.org/21see/make-a-blissful-cake-of-chocolate-and-tahini/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=ISRAEL21c |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2016-12-07 |title=Dark Cocoa Tahini Cookies (Gluten-Free) |url=https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/dark-cocoa-tahini-cookies-gluten-free-r3948/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Celiac.com |language=en-US}}

= By region =

== Armenia ==

In Armenia, tahini can be used as a sauce to put on lahmajoun.

== China ==

In Chinese cuisine, sesame paste ({{lang-zh|芝麻醬}} zhīmájiàng) is used as a condiment in many dishes. Chinese sesame paste differs from the Middle Eastern tahini in that the sesame is roasted; the paste is much darker, and has far less astringency. Often, white sesame paste is used in salty dishes, while black sesame paste is used in desserts (not to be confused with black sesame soup, which is made in a different manner from sesame paste). Sesame paste is a primary condiment in the hot dry noodles of Hubei cuisine and ma jiang mian (sesame paste noodles) of Northeastern Chinese cuisine and Taiwanese cuisine. Sesame paste is also used as a bread or mantou spread, and may be paired with or baked into bing (Chinese flatbread). Sesame paste is used as a seasoning, condiment and dip in cold dishes (such as liangfen) and hot pot.

== Cyprus ==

In Cyprus, tahini, locally pronounced as tashi, is used as a dip for bread and sometimes in pitta souvlaki rather than tzatziki, which is customary in Greece; it is also used to make "tahinopitta" (tahini pie).{{cite book |title=Food and Celebration, from Fasting to Feasting: Proceedings of the 13th Conference of the International Commission for Ethnological Food Research, Ljubljana, Preddvor, and Piran, Slovenia, June 5–11, 2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AHGHEAAAQBAJ |editor-last=Lysaght |editor-first=Patricia |chapter=Fasting in Cyprus |last1=Egoumenidou |first1=Euphrosyne |last2=Michaelides |first2=Demetrios |date=2002 |publisher=Založba ZRC |location=Ljubljana |isbn=9789616358545 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=AHGHEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA60 60] |via=Google Books}}

== Egypt ==

In Egypt, tehina ({{langx|arz|طحينة}}), is a fundamental component of the country's cuisine, serving as an ingredient, a condiment, and a dipping sauce. Derived from toasted, hulled sesame seeds ground into a creamy paste, tehina boasts a rich, nutty flavor with a slightly bitter undertone.{{cite web |title=Egyptian Tehina sauce: صوص الطحينة على الطريقة المصرية |url=https://cheznermine.com/2023/12/02/egyptian-tehina-sauce-%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9/ |website=Chez Nermine |access-date=March 15, 2025}}

In Egyptian culinary traditions, tehina is often made by blending it with lemon juice, garlic, and water, resulting in a smooth, ivory-colored condiment. This sauce is commonly seasoned with salt and cumin to enhance its flavor.{{cite web |title=Tahini Sauce |url=https://toriavey.com/tahini-sauce/ |website=Tori Avey |date=20 January 2010 |access-date=March 15, 2025}} The consistency can be adjusted by varying the amount of water, making it suitable as a dip, dressing, or accompaniment to various dishes.{{cite web |title=How To Make Egyptian Tahini Sauce |url=https://www.healthylifetrainer.com/tahini-dressing-recipe/ |website=Healthy Life Trainer |date=26 April 2023 |access-date=March 15, 2025}}

Tehina sauce holds a prominent place in Egyptian cuisine, frequently accompanying dishes such as ta'miya, ful medames and grilled meats like kofta. Its creamy texture and tangy profile complement the robust flavors of most foods, making it a staple on Egyptian dining tables.

== Greece ==

In Greece, tahini ({{langx|el|ταχίνι}}) is used as a spread on bread either alone or topped with honey or jam. Jars of tahini ready-mixed with honey or cocoa are available in the breakfast food aisles of Greek supermarkets.

== Iran ==

In Iran, tahini is called ardeh ({{lang|fa|ارده}}) in Persian. It is used to make halvardeh ({{lang|fa|حلوا ارده}}), a kind of halva made of tahini, sugar, egg whites, and other ingredients. It is also eaten during breakfast, usually with an accompanying sweet substance, such as grape syrup, date syrup, honey, or jam. Ardeh and halvardeh are among the souvenirs of the Iranian cities of Yazd and Ardakan.

== Iraq ==

In Iraq, tahini is known as rashi (راشي), and is mixed with date syrup (rub) to make a sweet dessert usually eaten with bread.

== Israel ==

In Israel, tahini ({{langx|he|טחינה}} ṭḥina) is a staple foodstuff. It is served as a dip with flat bread or pita, a topping for many foods such as falafel, sabich, Jerusalem mixed grill and shawarma, and as an ingredient in various spreads. It is also used as a sauce for meat and fish, and in sweet desserts like halva,Rogov, Daniel, [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Food/Halvahparfait.html Halvah Parfait] halva ice cream and tahini cookies. It is also served baked in the oven with kufta made of lamb or beef with spices and herbs, or with a whole fish in the coastal areas and the Sea of Galilee.

== Levant ==

In the Levant, tahini (Levantine Arabic: ṭḥine) is a staple food and is used in various spreads and culinary preparations. It is the main ingredient of the Ṭaraṭor (sauce) which is used with falafel and shawarma. It is also used as a sauce for meat and fish. It is an ingredient in a seafood dish called ṣiyadiyeh.

== Palestine ==

In the Gaza Strip, a rust-colored variety known as "red tahina" is served in addition to ordinary tahina. It is achieved by a different and lengthier process of roasting the sesame seeds, and has a more intense taste. Red tahina is used in sumagiyya (lamb with chard and sumac) and salads native to the falaḥeen from the surrounding villages, as well as southern Gaza.

{{cite book

|last1=el-Haddad

|first1=Laila

|url=https://www.google.co.il/books/edition/The_Gaza_Kitchen/hrSIjgEACAAJ

|title=The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey

|isbn=9781859644621

|language=en

}}{{cite web |last1=Gold |first1=Rozanne |title=The Search for Red Tahina |url=https://www.rozannegold.com/blog-new/2021/7/7/the-search-for-red-tahina |website=Rozanne Gold |access-date=11 May 2025 |date=7 July 2021}} By Rozanne Gold

In the West Bank city of Nablus, tahina is mixed with qizḥa paste to make "black tahina", used in baking.{{Cite web |last=Berger |first=Miriam |title=Is the world ready for this Palestinian dish? |url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190327-is-the-world-ready-for-this-palestinian-dish |access-date=2019-03-28 |website=www.bbc.com |date=28 March 2019 |language=en}}

It is also commonly sweetened with grape syrup and eaten with pita bread.

== Turkey ==

In Turkey, tahini ({{langx|tr|tahin}}) is mixed with pekmez to make tahin-pekmez, which is often served as a breakfast item or after meals as a sweet dip for breads.