Sesame is used in everything from sweets such as Indian til laddoos and Middle Eastern halva to savoury dips and dressings such as tahini and hummus. The Japanese sprinkle gomashio, a sesame-and-salt condiment, over rice and noodles.
Untoasted sesame seeds carry very subtle flavours from compounds such as furfural and hexanal. When roasted or toasted, proteins and sugars on the outer layers of the seed react with one another to form hundreds of new compounds, including nutty, flavourful pyrazines
