Did You Know ?

Majority of the wild species of the genus Sesamum are native to sub-saharan Africa.

It was demonstrated that sesame was first domesticated in India, citing morphological and cytogenetic affinities between domesticated sesame and the south Indian native S. mulayanum Nair.

The word sesame is from Latin sesamum, borrowed from Greek sésamon "seed or fruit of the sesame plant", borrowed from Semitic (cf. Aramaic shumshema, Arabic simsim), from Late Babylonian *shawash-shammu, itself from Assyrian shamash-shammu, from shaman shammi "plant oil"...phew!

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.

In Orissa, Rassi ladu (sweet made of Sesame) is a must as an offering to Lord Ganesha.

Sesame oil is used to pacify the malefic effect of Lord Shani (Saturn).

Tamil medicine holds that gargling with sesame oil after brushing one's teeth will reduce gum disease and mouth ulcers while eliminating plaque.

"Open sesame," the famous phrase from the Arabian Nights, reflects the distinguishing feature of the sesame seed pod, which bursts open when it reaches maturity. 

Sesame is grown in many parts of the world on over 5 million acres (20,000 km2). The largest producer of the crop in 2007 was India, China, Myanmar, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Nigeria. Seventy percent of the world's sesame crop is grown in Asia, with Africa growing 26%