Emanating from the savanna of prehistoric sub-Saharan Africa to become one of the world’s oldest and most widespread oilseed crops, the hardy and herbaceous sesame plant is cultivated mainly for its aromatic seeds.
In Japan, sesame is a kitchen staple. Found in ruins dating back to the Jomon Period (10,000-200 B.C.), it most likely made its way to the Japanese archipelago from China’s Yellow River civilization that flourished around 3,000 B.C. The latter probably received the seeds from an ancient culture of the Indus Valley in northwestern South Asia, where charred archaeological remains of the plant point to its existence at least 5,500 years ago.
These historical vignettes — along with other anecdotes such as baskets of sesame found among the riches of Tutankhamen’s tomb — are interspersed between more than 80 recipes in “Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed,” a debut cookbook from Rachel Simons.
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