A smooth, creamy paste made from ground sesame seeds, with a rich, nutty flavor and slightly bitter finish. It's a key ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine and the base for many sauces and spreads.
From Arabic 'tahina,' derived from the verb 'tahana' meaning 'to grind.' The technique of grinding sesame seeds into paste dates back over 4,000 years in the Middle East, where sesame was one of the first oilseed crops cultivated by humans.
Tahini was likely humanity's first nut butter, predating peanut butter by thousands of years! The grinding process breaks down sesame seeds' cellular structure to release oils that contain more calcium per ounce than milk, plus lignans that act as natural antioxidants - making this ancient food surprisingly modern in its nutritional profile.
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