Description
Tahini, or tahina, is a condiment made from ground sesame seeds. It’s an ancient food – mentioned 4000 years ago, describing the custom of serving the gods sesame wine! It was written about by the historian, Herodotus, 3500 years ago in the area around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Ancient Iraq – mainly used as a source of oil.
Tahini is used in Armenian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Greek, Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, Lebanese, North African, Palestinian and Turkish cuisines. It can be served as a dip on its own or as a major component of hummus, baba ganoush and halva. It is also widely used in Chinese and South East Asian cuisine, notably Vietnamese cuisine.
Tahini is a loanword from Arabic – derived from the root verb meaning “to grind”.
Nutrition-wise, tahini is an excellent source of zinc, iron, phosphorus, copper, manganese and the amino acid, methionine. Tahini is a source of healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Tahini made from raw sesame seeds is lower in fat than tahini made from roasted seeds. It’s relatively high levels of calcium and protein make it a useful addition to vegetarian and vegan diets, as well as to raw food diets when eaten in its unroasted form. Compared to peanut butter, tahini has higher levels of fibre and calcium and lower levels of sugar and saturated fats.
Delicious mixed with juice of half a lemon or two, generous pinch of salt, and diluted with water to form a sauce (make as thick or thin as you like). Great on baked spuds or sweet potatoes, salads, cooked veggies or as a dip. Essential for making hummous. We’ve sought the unhulled version – greater nutrient content.
Gluten and dairy free.
Ingredients: Sesame seeds (from controlled bio-dynamic demeter farming).
Certified organic by Australian Certified Organic (201).