Sesame Origins and Etymology

Sesame Sesamum indicum) is a plant in the Sesame genus, also known as benne.Many wild relatives occur in Africa and a few in India.It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and cultivated for its edible seeds that grow in pods.World production in 2018 was 6 million tons (5.9 million long tons; 6.6 million short tons), with Sudan,Myanmar and India being the largest producers.

Sesame is one of the oldest known oil crops, having been domesticated more than 3,000 years ago.There are many other species of sesame, most of which are wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa.S.indicum, cultivated type, originated in India.It tolerates drought conditions well and grows where other crops have failed.Sesame has the highest oil content of all seeds.It has a strong, nutty flavor and is a common ingredient in cuisines around the world.Like other foods, it can trigger allergic reactions in some people.

Etymology 

The word "sesame" is derived from Latin sesamum and Greek σήσαμον: sēsamon; which in turn is derived from ancient Semitic languages such as Akkadian šamaššamu.From these roots, words with the general meaning of "oil, liquid fat" are derived.The word "benne" is first recorded in English in 1769, from Gullah benne, itself from Malinke bĕne.

Origins and history

Sesame is considered to be the oldest oilseed crop known to man.There are many species in this genus, most of which are wild.Most wild species of Sesame are native to sub-Saharan Africa.S.indicum, cultivar native to India.Archaeological remains of burnt sesame seeds dating to 3500-3050 BC indicate that sesame was domesticated in the Indian subcontinent at least 5500 years ago.The sesame trade between Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent is said to have occurred in 2000 BC.The Indus Valley Civilization may have exported sesame oil to Mesopotamia, where it was called ilu in Sumerian and ellu in Akkadian.Some reports claim that sesame was grown in Egypt during the Ptolemaic period,while others attribute it to the New Kingdom period.The Egyptians called it sesemt, and it is included in the list of medicines in the Ebers Papyrus scrolls dating back more than 3,600 years.Excavations of King Tutankhamen uncovered baskets filled with sesame seeds, along with other funeral objects, suggesting that sesame seeds were present in Egypt as early as 1350 BCE.Archaeological reports indicate that sesame seeds were grown and pressed for oil by the Urartu empire at least 2,750 years ago.Others suggest that it may have originated in Ethiopia.Historically, sesame was favored for its ability to grow in areas that did not support the growth of other crops.It's also a hardy crop that requires little to no agricultural support,it thrives in dry conditions, high temperatures, moisture left in the soil after the monsoon dies down, and even when there's little or too much rain. It's a crop that can be grown by subsistence farmers on the edge of the desert, where there are no other crops. Sesame is known as a survivor crop.

Botany

Sesame is a perennial plant 50 to 100 cm (1 ft 8 in to 3 ft 3 in) tall, with opposite leaves 4 to 14 cm (2 to 6 in) long with full margins; Plants are up to 5 cm (2 in) wide at the base, narrowing to just 1 cm (13⁄32 in) wide on the flower stems.The flowers are tubular, 3 to 5 cm (1+1⁄8 to 2 in) long, with a 4-lobed mouth.The flowers may vary in color, some are white, blue or purple.The color of sesame varies from variety to variety.The most traded sesame variety is off-white. Other common colors are buff, tan, gold, brown, reddish, gray, and black.The shell is the same color as the fruit.The sesame fruit is a capsule, usually pubescent, rectangular in cross section, usually with a short triangular beak.Pods vary in length from 2 to 8 cm (3⁄4 to 3+1⁄8 in), 0.5 to 2.0 cm (13⁄64 to 25⁄32 in) in width, and vary in the number of compartments Same from 4 to 12.The fruit splits (dehiscence) naturally, either by splitting from top to bottom along the septum or through the two apical holes to release the seeds, depending on the cultivar cultivar.The degree of dehiscence is important in mechanized harvest breeding, as is the insertion height of the first capsule.Sesame is very small.Their size varies among the thousands of known breeds. Typically, the seeds are about 3 to 4 mm long, 2 mm wide and 1 mm thick (15⁄128 to 5⁄32 × 5⁄64 × 5⁄128). The seeds are ovoid and slightly flattened, with the seed eye (hilum) slightly thinner than the other end. The mass of 100 seeds is 0.203 grams.The testa (testa) may be smooth or ribbed.