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Sesame

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture;
Plants

                    iSesame
   Sesame plants
   Sesame plants
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Plantae
   Division: Magnoliophyta
   Class:    Magnoliopsida
   Order:    Lamiales
   Family:   Pedaliaceae
   Genus:    Sesamum
   Species:  S. indicum

                                Binomial name

   Sesamum indicum
   L.

   Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. The
   precise natural origin of the species is unknown, although its closest
   relatives occur in Africa. It is widely naturalised in tropical regions
   around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds.

   It is an annual plant growing to 50-100 cm tall, with opposite leaves
   4-14 cm long with an entire margin; they are broad lanceolate, to 5 cm
   broad, at the base of the plant, narrowing to just 1 cm broad on the
   flowering stem. The flowers are white to purple, tubular, 3-5 cm long,
   with a four-lobed mouth.

   The word sesame is from Latin sesamum, borrowed from Greek sēsámon
   "seed or fruit of the sesame plant", borrowed from Semitic (cf. Aramaic
   shūmshĕmā, Arabic simsim), from Late Babylonian *shawash-shammu, itself
   from Assyrian shamash-shammū, from shaman shammī "plant oil".

Cultivation and uses

   Sesame is grown primarily for its oil-rich seeds, which come in a
   variety of colors. The small, cream-white sesame seed is used whole in
   cooking for its rich nutty flavour (although such heating damages their
   health-giving poly-unsaturated fats), and also yields a cooking oil.
   Sesame seeds are sometimes added to breads, including bagels and the
   top of hamburger buns. Sesame seeds are baked into crackers, often in
   the form of sticks.

   Sesame seeds can be made into a paste called tahini (used in hummus)
   and a Middle Eastern confection called halvah. In India, sections of
   the Middle East and East Asia, popular treats are made from sesame
   mixed with honey or syrup and roasted (called pasteli in Greece).
   Sesame oil was the preferred cooking oil in India till the advent of
   groundnut (peanut) oil. Sesame flavour (through oil and roasted or raw
   seeds) is also very popular in Korean cuisine, used to marinate meat
   and vegetables. Sesame seeds are also sprinkled onto some sushi style
   foods. East Asian cuisines, like Chinese cuisine uses sesame seeds and
   oil in some dishes, such as the dim sum dish, sesame seed balls (
   Traditional Chinese: 麻糰; pinyin: mátuǎn).

   Japanese cuisine uses sesame seeds in many ways. One is to make
   goma-dofu (胡麻豆腐) which is made from sesame paste and starch. Whole
   seeds are found in many salads and baked snacks as well. Chefs in
   tempura restaurants blend sesame and cottonseed oil for deep-frying.
   Tan and black sesame seed varieties are roasted and used for making the
   flavoring called gomashio.

   The seeds are rich in manganese, copper, and calcium (90 mg per
   tablespoon for unhulled seeds, only 10 mg for hulled seeds), and
   contain Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and Vitamin E (tocopherol). They contain
   powerful antioxidants called lignans, which are also anti-carcinogenic.
   They also contain phytosterols, which block cholesterol production.
   Sesame contains one lignan unique to it called sesamin. The nutrients
   of sesame seeds are better absorbed if they are ground or pulverised
   before consumption.

   Sesame is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera
   species including Turnip Moth.

   Sesame oil is used for massage and health treatments of the body in the
   ancient Indian ayurvedic system with the types of massage called
   abhyanga and shirodhara. Ayurveda views sesame oil as the most viscous
   of the plant oils and as such good at pacifying the health problem
   associated with vata aggravation.

   Although sesame leaves are edible as a potherb , recipes for Korean
   cuisine calling for "sesame leaves" are often a mistranslation, and
   really mean perilla .

   A simit is a small circular Greek and Turkish bread with sesame seeds

   Thai workers harvesting sesame

   Dry sesame seeds

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
