What is sesame?
A: Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum, also called benne.
With a rich, nutty flavor, it is a what?
A: A common ingredient in cuisines around the world.
Sesame seed is considered to be the oldest “what” known
to humanity?
A: Oilseed crop.
The genus has many species, and most are what?
A: Wild.
Most wild species of the genus Sesamum are native to where?
A: Sub-Saharan Africa.
Where did S. indicum, the cultivated type, originate?
A: In India.
Archaeological remnants of charred sesame dating to
about 3500-3050 BCE suggest sesame was what?
A: Domesticated in the Indian subcontinent at least 5500 years ago.
It has been claimed that trading of sesame between
Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent occurred by when?
A: 2000 BC.
Egyptians called it sesemt, and it is included in the
list of medicinal drugs in what?
A: The scrolls of the Ebers Papyrus dated to be over 3600 years old.
Excavations of King Tutankhamen uncovered what?
A: Baskets of sesame among other grave goods, suggesting that sesame was
present in Egypt by 1350 BC.
Where do archeological reports indicate that sesame was
grown and pressed to extract oil at least 2750 years ago?
A: In the empire of Urartu.
Historically, sesame was favored for its ability to
what?
A: Grow in areas that do not support the growth of other crops
It was a crop that could be grown by subsistence
farmers at the edge of what?
A: Deserts, where no other crops grow.
Sesame is an annual plant growing how tall?
A: 50 to 100 cm (1 ft 8 in to 3 ft 3 in).
The flowers are tubular, 3 to 5 cm (1+1⁄8 to 2 in)
long, with a what?
A: A four-lobed mouth.
The flowers may vary in
color, with some being what?
A: White, blue, or purple.
Sesame seeds occur in many colors depending on what?
A: The cultivar.
Commercial sesame crops require how many frost-free
days?
A: Warm conditions above 23 °C (73 °F) favor growth and yields.
In 2020, world production of sesame seeds was how much?
A: 7 million metric tons (6,900,000 long tons; 7,700,000 short tons).
About 75% of Mexico's sesame crop is purchased by
McDonald's for use in what?
A: Their sesame seed buns worldwide.
Sesame seeds, also called benne, are believed to have
been brought into 17th-century colonial America by whom?
A: West African slaves.
The entirety of the sesame plant was used extensively
in what kind of cuisine?
A: West African.
The seeds were commonly used as a what in soups and
puddings?
A: A thickener.
The seeds could be roasted and infused in water to
produce what?
A: A coffee-like drink.