Sesame | Description, Uses, & Facts - Encyclopedia Britannica

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• History and uses
• Physical description

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External Websites

• University of Florida - IFAS Extension - Gardening Solutions - Sesame
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.): A Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Composition, Health Benefits, Development of Food, and Industrial Applications
• CORE - Sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.) Growth and Yield as Influenced by Preemergence Herbicides (PDF)
• WebMD - Sesame
• BMC Genomics - Relationship between metabolic and genomic diversity in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)
• Frontiers - Economic analysis of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) production in Northern Benin
• Agricultural Marketing Resource Center - Sesame
• USDA Natural Resources Convervation Service - Plant Guide - Sesame
• University of Wisconsin Extension - Corn Agronomy - Sesame
• Texas A and M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo - Sesame�Production Guide

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• sesame - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

sesame plant Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: Sesamum indicum, benne Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 16, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything Top Questions

What is sesame and what is it used for?

Sesame is an annual plant of the Pedaliaceae family, grown for its seeds, which are used as food and flavoring. The seeds are high in protein and rich in thiamin and vitamin B6.

Where is sesame cultivated?

Sesame is cultivated in most tropical, subtropical, and southern temperate areas of the world.

How is sesame oil used?

Sesame oil is used as a salad oil or cooking oil, in shortening and margarine, and in the manufacture of soaps, pharmaceuticals, and lubricants. Sesame oil is used as an ingredient in cosmetics. The press cake remaining after the oil is expressed is highly nutritious.

sesame, (Sesamum indicum), erect annual plant of the family Pedaliaceae, grown since antiquity for its seeds, which are used as food and flavoring and from which a prized oil is extracted. Widely cultivated, the sesame plant is found in most of the tropical, subtropical, and southern temperate areas of the world. The aroma and taste of sesame seed are mild and nutlike. The chief constituent of the seed is its fixed oil, which usually amounts to about 44 to 60 percent. Noted for its stability, the oil resists oxidative rancidity. The seeds are also high in protein and are rich in thiamin and vitamin B6.

Taxonomy

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Angiosperm
• Order: Lamiales
• Family: Pedaliaceae
• Genus: Sesamum

See also list of herbs and spices.

History and uses

The sesame plant likely originated in Asia or East Africa, and ancient Egyptians are known to have used the ground seed as grain flour. The seeds were used by the Chinese at least 5,000 years ago, and for centuries they have burned the oil to make soot for the finest Chinese ink blocks. The Romans ground sesame seeds with cumin to make a pasty spread for bread. Once it was thought to have mystical powers, and sesame still retains a magical quality, as shown in the expression “open sesame,” from The Thousand and One Nights tale of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.”

Sesame oil is used as a salad oil or cooking oil, in shortening and margarine, in cosmetics, and in the manufacture of soaps, pharmaceuticals, and lubricants. The press cake remaining after the oil is expressed is highly nutritious.

Britannica Quiz What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz

The whole seed is used extensively in the cuisines of the Middle East and Asia. Halvah is a confection made of crushed and sweetened sesame seeds. In Europe and North America the seeds are used to flavor and garnish various foods, particularly breads and other baked goods.

Also called: benne (Show more) Related Topics: spice and herb hummus tahini sesame seed (Show more) On the Web: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.): A Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Composition, Health Benefits, Development of Food, and Industrial Applications (Jan. 16, 2026) (Show more) See all related content

Physical description

Depending on conditions, sesame varieties grow from about 0.5 to 2.5 meters (2 to 9 feet) tall; some have branches, others do not. One to three flowers appear in the leaf axils. The hulled seeds are creamy or pearly white and about 3 mm (0.1 inch) long and have a flattened pear shape. The seed capsules open when dry, allowing the seed to scatter. Considerable hand labor is needed in harvesting to prevent loss of the seeds. With the development of a nonscattering variety of the plant in the mid-20th century, mechanized harvesting of the crop was made possible.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Sohini Dasgupta.