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October 17, 2007 : Sesamum indicum
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Keywords: Pedaliaceae | Sesamum indicum L. | syn. Sesamum orientale L. | Thane, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Thank you to Nagraj Salian@Flickr from Mumbai, India for sharing today's photograph — here's the original via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool. You might like to view Nagraj's photo sets of flowers or his hiking / trekking trips, by the way. Thanks Nagraj – we're always pleased to have a first-time contributor!
If you haven't guessed from the name of the genus, this is the species responsible for sesame seeds and oil. Cultivated since antiquity, its origin is unknown; GRIN (the Genetic Resources Information Network) suggests a possible origin of Sesamum indicum in India or Africa (the Wikipedia entry goes into more details). Its plant family, the Pedaliaceae, has a similar range, i.e., primarily tropical Old World.
Whenever a spice is featured on BPotD, it's a given that we turn to Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages. Once again, Gernot doesn't disappoint. His detailed page on Sesamum indicum is fascinating, particularly the discussion on hot-pressed oils vs. cold-pressed oils (which I now understand). This transitions into a discussion on how sesame seeds are used for culinary purposes in various cultures.
One property of sesame not touched on by Gernot but mentioned on the GRIN page is allergenic responses to the plant, particularly contact dermatitis. The Botanical Dermatology Database goes into detail: Pedaliaceae @ BoDD (scroll down to Sesamum indicum).
On a final note, I see that Gernot is involved in a museum display on spices. If you're in or near Oldenburg, Germany before the end of this year, do visit the Chiles, Devil’s Dung and Saffron exhibition at the Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch Oldenburg.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at October 17, 2007 6:08 AM
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Comments
Posted by: bev at October 17, 2007 7:26 AM
Oh, now I really wish I could go home for a visit!! :)
(to Germany that is)
Does anyone know if there are seeds available from anywhere to perhaps grow some as an annual?
Susanne
Posted by: Susanne at October 17, 2007 7:32 AM
Oh, awesome picture, lovely blossoms, and amazing information. I, too, love sasame seeds many ways, and my son (a vegan) uses sesame oil in many of his dishes. He tends to cook a lot of Indian cuisine, curry being favorite.
I had never, in my whole life even THOUGHT about how sesame seeds were made, and I am so pleased to know now. Reminds me of when my 25 year old grandson was shocked to find out that dill pickles were made from cucumbers! Sorry, I had to laugh at that one.
Bad Grandma.
This one was great, thanks!
Sue
Posted by: Sue at October 17, 2007 7:55 AM
Thank you very much for appreciating.
Posted by: Nagraj Salian at October 17, 2007 11:52 AM
Open Sesame.
Posted by: Michael F at October 17, 2007 2:53 PM
thank you nagrai lovely picture nice to meet you
we started with hazel nuts and now we have
sesame we are cooking a little it would seem
perhaps i could add a tree from florida
where i live the golden senna or the
scrambled egg tree south florida bahamas
dessert anyone
Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at October 17, 2007 3:24 PM
Wow. Great shot!
Posted by: Katy S at October 17, 2007 4:08 PM
How graceful and lovely selative focus photograph. Again I have learned where sesame seed come from. I really look forward each day to a new photograh and learning more as I go.
Thank you for all the great pictures and the chance to learn more each day.
Thank you,
Margaret-Rae
Posted by: Margaret-Rae Davis at October 17, 2007 5:57 PM
Hi Nagraj Salian,
This image is great! I am a botanist writing a taxonomic article on the genus Sesamum and I was wondering if I could use your image to illustrate it. It will be in a non-commercial scientific journal (Anales del Jardin Botanico de Madrid).
I hope you will grant me permission,
Kind regards,
Maarten Christenhusz
Posted by: Maarten Christenhusz at December 9, 2008 7:24 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
Daniel;
Excellent, excellent post, as usual. I will enjoy perusing all the suggested links. And thanks to Nagraj for the beautiful photo; I eat sesame seed bagels every day!