Sesame was cultivated during the Indus valley civilization and was the main oil
crop. It was probably exported to Mesopotamia around 2500 BCE and was known in Akkadian
and Sumerian as 'ellu'. Sesame seeds were one of the first crops processed for oil
as well as one of the earliest condiments. In fact, the word enne/enna/ennai that
means oil in many Dravidian languages including Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil has
its roots in the Dravidian words and , which mean sesame and fat respectively. Also
the Hindi word Tel (तेल) for oil is also derived from sesame oil (from Sanskrit
Taila (तैल) which means obtained from Tila (तिल) Sesame) Prior to 600 BC, the Assyrians
used sesame oil as a food, salve, and medication, primarily by the rich, as the
difficulty of obtaining it made it expensive. Hindus used it in votive lamps and
considered the oil sacred.
As of 2007, sesame is being imported into the US at a price of US$0.43/lb. This
relatively high price reflects a worldwide shortage. Though the market for sesame
seed is strong, domestic US production awaits the development of high-yielding nonshattering
varieties. It is advisable to establish a market before planting.
Most of the wild species of the genus Sesamum are native to sub-saharan Africa
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According to Assyrian legend, when the gods met to create the world, they drank
wine made from sesame seeds.
In Hindu legends and beliefs, tales are told in which sesame seeds represent a symbol
of immortality and the God Maha Vishnu's consort Maha Sri Devi herself representing
the properties of the sesame seed, as such it is considered as the most auspicious
oil next to Ghee used in Hindu rituals and prayers. In Orissa, Raashi ladu (sweet
made of Sesame) is a must as an offering to Lord Ganesha. Black sesame seeds are
mixed with grains of rice and offered to the manes. White sesame seeds mixed with
rice are offered to the gods and seers of the Veda.
Both of these offerings are called tarpanam. Sesame oil is used to pacify the malefic
effect of Lord Shani (Saturn). In Tamil literature and medicine it has been mentioned
as the "very good healthy" oil as such it is called Nala + Enney (Good Oil), old
Tamil medicinal proverbs such as "ilaythavannakku yellum kohluthavanukkum kohlum";
meaning "prescribe for underweight/unnourished it boost up and also may apply for
the overweight/corpulent as well to reduce down, sometimes misinterpreted as "prescribe
sesame to underweight and horse gram to overweight" thus the word kohlum is mistaken
for Horse Gram.
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Tamil medicine holds that gargling with sesame oil after brushing one's teeth will
reduce gum disease and mouth ulcers while eliminating plaque. Taking a sesame oil
bath with a simple self massage are considered mandatory in Tamil tradition at least
once in a week on Wednesday & Saturday for male and Fridays for female as per quoted
by a Siddha Yogic Tamil medicine philosopher Auvaiyaar as quoted "Sani Neeraadu"
means at least take a full shower once a week with oil which will reduce ones body
heat on a rest day which is Saturday for those who live in the hot humid tropical
regions.
According to Bhavishya-uttara-Purana, one who distributes sesame in charity (etc.)
on day of Shat-Tila-Ekadashi, in the end of life comes back to home, back to Godhead,
to spiritual world, abode of Lord Krishna..
In recent times, sesame seeds have become an ingredient in wiccan practices. Cunningham's
Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen suggests their use to aid conception, to draw
money, or for protection.
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"Open sesame" the phrase from Arabian Nights, has been claimed to reflect the distinguishing
feature of the sesame seed pod, which bursts open when it reaches maturity, however
this is probably a false etymology, as the original words in the Ali Baba story
were "iftaH ya simsim", and the English rendition of "Open Sesame" is phonetically
similar. Sesame seeds are also used conceptionally in Urdu literature, in the proverbs
"til dharnay ki jagah na hona"; meaning a place so crowded that there is no room
for a single seed of sesame, and "in tilon mein teil nahee" referring to a person
who is very mean, meaning by there is no oil left in this sesame.
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