The market · Nuts and seeds · The Middle East

Tahini

Sesame seeds ground to a paste — nutty, slightly bitter, and the backbone of Levantine sauces.

nutty · bitter

What to do with it

Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleTahini would temper its sweetnessKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaTahini would temper its sweetness
Classics built on it
LevantineHummusChickpeas cooked very soft and blended with tahini, lemon, garlic and salt until silky.No one here has made it yetLevantineFalafelBalls of soaked, raw chickpeas ground with herbs, onion and spice and deep-fried — crisp outside, green and soft within.No one here has made it yetLevantineFattehLayers of toasted flatbread, warm chickpeas and garlicky yoghurt with tahini, finished with pine nuts sizzled in butter or ghee.No one here has made it yet

Goes with

lemongarlicchickpeaaubergine

Knowing it

Where to buy
Middle Eastern grocers. Lebanese and Palestinian brands are smoother and less bitter.
Worth knowing
Stir it thoroughly — the oil separates — and whisk it with lemon and water; it seizes, then loosens.

Kitchens that keep it in

Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and JordanLevantineThe cooking of the eastern Mediterranean: olive oil, lemon, tahini and herbs, eaten as a spread of small dishes to share.11 classics

More nuts and seeds

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