What-is-tahini | United States | Pepperwood Organics

The Superfood you should Know About

What is Tahini?

If you ever looked at the back label of your favorite Hummus dip, you’d notice that one of the main ingredients is Tahini. That’s what gives Hummus its rich flavor, and we have good news for you - it’s extremely healthy!

So what is Tahini and why should we consider adding more of it to our daily diet?

Tahini, also known as “sesame butter,” is made of 100% ground sesame seeds. Tahini in its raw form is an extremely versatile food. It can be easily made into dips (including Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, or a dip all on its own), dressing, or the basis for all kinds of cookies - even gluten-free bread. Or it can be spread on anything crunchy and enjoyed as-is. Tahini is also the basis for the traditional Middle Eastern dessert, Halva.

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The Origin

Pepperwood Organics Tahini

Considering that Tahini is just ground sesame seeds, there’s a mind-boggling variety in taste, texture, and nutrition between brands. Tahini enthusiasts (which we are) could write books about the subtleties, but we’ll just sum it up for you.

Unique Breed

There are many breeds of sesame seeds from different parts of the globe that are very different from each other. There are the popular shades of brown, red, black, yellow, and pale grayish ivory.

Pepperwood's Tahini is made from a unique breed of sesame that only grows in the fertile soils of Humera, Ethiopia, where the climate is ideal for the growth of this powerful seed. It is called 'White Humera', due to its golden-white color.

White Humera seeds have a sweet and rich nutty flavor. It is the perfect sesame for Tahini thanks to the high oil content, which gives the Tahini a smooth, creamy texture, as opposed to thicker, pastier textures produced by other seeds. White Humera seeds are also known to have a higher nutritional value, containing the highest amount of Calcium and Iron as well as other vitamins and minerals.

The Hulling Process

The majority of Tahinis are made from ''hulled'' sesame seeds, meaning the shell is separated from the kernels resulting in a smoother finished product (just like white vs. whole grains). Commercial hulling of the sesame seed removes many of its inherent benefits since a majority of the nutrients are found in the shell.

Pepperwood's unhulled sesame butter is unrivaled. Our meticulous stone ground process produces a uniquely finished product that tastes amazing while retaining all the goodness this super seed has to offer.

The Grinding

Many companies use metal machines for the grinding process, which harms the texture and nutritional benefits of this potent seed. At Pepperwood, only the good old stone grinding technique is used which naturally preserves the sesame’s exceptional nutritional benefits, rich flavor and smooth texture.

No Added Salt

The predominant method used in the cleansing process is to soak the sesame seeds in salt water which also speeds up production - but at the same time dehydrates the seed. This method produces a finished product which has a thicker texture and salty taste.
At Pepperwood, we cleanse the sesame seeds without using any salt in the process giving our Sesame butter a sweet-nutty flavor and a smooth, creamy texture.