How to Eat Sesame for Nutrition and Flavor: A Full Guide to Common Ways to Enjoy It

Sesame is a common oilseed crop. Its seeds are small but richly aromatic, and the two main types are white sesame and black sesame. Besides being used whole, sesame can also be processed into products such as sesame oil, toasted sesame oil, sesame paste and sesame powder, all of which are widely used ingredients in the kitchen.

As for ways to eat it, the simplest is to sprinkle toasted sesame seeds directly over dishes, for example mixing them into rice balls or scattering them over noodles, porridge or salads to add aroma and texture. If you want to absorb sesame's nutrients more fully, you can first toast the seeds until fragrant and then grind them into powder; ground sesame is easier to digest and absorb, and can be added to soy milk or milk to drink, or kneaded into dough to make steamed buns or baked flatbread.

Sesame paste is another common way to enjoy it. Toasted, ground sesame is blended into a fine paste, which is perfect for tossing with noodles, dipping steamed buns or making cold dressed sauces. Sesame oil pressed from sesame seeds plays the role of enhancing aroma in cooking; when making soups, stir-fries or nourishing dishes such as sesame oil chicken, sesame oil is often used to fry ginger slices to bring out the flavor.

There are a few things to note when eating sesame: whole sesame seeds have a fairly hard outer shell, so swallowing them directly makes them hard to digest, and it is best to toast or grind them before eating; sesame is also high in oil, and eating too much at once may burden the stomach and intestines, so moderate amounts are advisable. For storage, keep it sealed and away from light in a cool, dry place to prevent the oil from oxidizing and developing a rancid taste; once opened, eating it as soon as possible gives the best flavor.