White or Tan Sesame Seeds?

by Malika
(Sante Fe)

I am so enjoying your website!! When you say white sesame seeds for the tahini dressing do you mean the ones without the skins? In the kitchen I used to work in, we made fermented seed cheese with the unprocessed seeds. What would happen if I used those light tan ones?

Many thanks.

Answer: Great question Malika! Sesame seeds naturally come in a variety of colors including white, tan, black and red. The white and tan seeds are more popular in the West and Middle East, whereas the black seeds are prized in the Far East.

But no matter which color you use, the hulled seeds are easier to find and are better to get the smooth creamy texture of our dressing. However the unhulled seeds, which are harder to find, do have a higher calcium content. The calcium in the hulls is in a less absorbable form than the calcium in the kernel, so it's debatable whether you actually benefit from the additional calcium. Traditional tahini is made with hulled seeds and "sesame butter" is made with the unhulled seeds.

So you can use either color - the white ones are nice looking and creamy for our tahini dressing, but the tan hulled type works fine too. The unhulled seeds would work but may create a more bitter flavor and be a bit less creamy - add more water to compensate.