What Is Sesame Oil?

It has a long tradition in Asian cuisine, but it is not just used for cooking and refining different dishes. Sesame oil even has health-promoting and cosmetic benefits. You can also choose from two variants that bring their very own aromatic and culinary strengths.

Interesting facts about sesame oil

Sesame oil is considered one of the oldest, sometimes even the oldest cooking oil in the world. People in China, Japan, and India used it for cooking and refining thousands of years ago and have been only too happy to preserve this tradition. Even today, sesame oil is used for cooking and frying, especially in Asia, although it has long since found its way to other parts of the world. A distinction is made between two variants of the oil: Light sesame oil consists of unroasted seeds and therefore tastes mild to neutral. For dark sesame oil, on the other hand, the small grains are first roasted, which creates an intense, nutty aroma.

In addition, in Ayurveda, sesame oil is not only used in the kitchen, but also for skin care, as it moisturizes. Therefore, it is also often used for massages. By the way: we also use sesame seeds as the basis for our delicious halva, a traditional dessert from the Orient, Greece, and Russia.

Shopping and cooking tips for sesame oil

Both variants have completely different areas of application in the kitchen. If your sesame oil is native oil, use it to refine it. The reason: native sesame oil is not as heat-resistant as refined oil. With just a few drops you get the characteristic taste of many Japanese or Chinese dishes or mix a special salad dressing. You can also use it for the filling of our gyoza, the delicious Japanese dumplings. Incidentally, cold-pressed sesame oil is bottled without first being heated. In this way, more ingredients are retained.

Refined sesame oil, on the other hand, can be heated; the smoke point is around 230 degrees. It is therefore ideal for roasting and cooking, and of course not only for wok dishes. Refined variants have a longer shelf life than native sesame oils. Basically, sesame oil is one of the most durable oils anyway. Store it in a cool, dark place and it will keep for about a year. The seeds, in turn, are part of the fermentation process described in our kimchi recipe, which you can use to prepare the South Korean national dish yourself.