Sesame

"Black sesame" redirects here. For another "black sesame" crop plant of western and central Africa see Sesamum radiatum.
For other uses, see Sesame (disambiguation).

Sesame
A photograph of a sesame plant with glossy dark green leaves and a white flower
Sesame plants
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Pedaliaceae
Genus: Sesamum
Species:
S. indicum
Binomial name
Sesamum indicum
Synonyms[1]
  • Dysosmon amoenum Raf.
  • Sesamum africanum Tod.
  • Sesamum occidentalis Heer & Regel
  • Sesamum oleiferum Sm.
  • Sesamum orientale L.
  • Volkameria orientalis (L.) Kuntze

Sesame (/ˈsɛsəmi/;[2][3] Sesamum indicum) is a plant in the genus Sesamum, also called simsim, benne or gingelly.[4] Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India.[5] It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. World production in 2018 was 6 million tonnes (5,900,000 long tons; 6,600,000 short tons), with Sudan, Myanmar, and India as the largest producers.[6]

Sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, domesticated well over 3,000 years ago. Sesamum has many other species, most being wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa.[5] S. indicum, the cultivated type, originated in India.[7][5] It tolerates drought conditions well, growing where other crops fail.[8][9] Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. With a rich, nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines around the world.[10][11] Like other foods, it can trigger allergic reactions in some people and is one of the nine most common allergens outlined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).[12][13]

  1. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  2. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
  3. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  4. ^ "Definition of BENNE". Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  5. ^ a b c Bedigian, Dorothea (2015-01-02). "Systematics and evolution in Sesamum L. (Pedaliaceae), part 1: Evidence regarding the origin of sesame and its closest relatives". Webbia. 70 (1). University of Florence: 1–42. Bibcode:2015Webbi..70....1B. doi:10.1080/00837792.2014.968457. ISSN 0083-7792. S2CID 85002894.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference faostat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Y. P. S. Bajaj was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference rram was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference drl2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference rhan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference esopl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference adatia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference SesameLaw2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).