Tahini

Tahini is a smooth, pourable paste made from ground hulled sesame seeds. It tastes deeply nutty with a mild bitterness and a silky texture that loosens with warmth; it emulsifies dressings, enriches hummus and dips, and thickens sauces or soups. Sold as light (hulled) or darker (unhulled), raw or lightly toasted, in jars or tins.

It originated around the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East and is a staple in Levantine, Turkish, Persian, and North African cuisines. Producers mill cleaned sesame seeds into a fine paste, sometimes adjusting roast and oil content to control color and viscosity.