|
These treasures, symbols of the beneficial properties of sesame for man's health, were safeguarded in the traditions of all ancient civilizations. The Indians considered sesame to be “the king of seeds”. The Assyrian gods would drink sesame wine before heading out to battle, and mere mortals considered it equivalent to silver in their transactions. The Chinese and Japanese used it in remedies and sesame oil was considered ideal in their cooking. Hippocrates and Galene used it as a medicine, and in weddings in ancient Greece they offered a mixture of tahini and honey, a kind of halva.
|
But what is it that makes sesame and its products so unique that ancient civilizations would praise them? Why is tahini , which is ground sesame, considered by the Greeks to be a traditional healthy food? Why is halva the ideal food during fasting, when our body is detoxified and requires pure food with high energy and major dietary value? Why is sesame oil one of the richest substances in antioxidants among dietary sources?
The above questions find their answers in the science of food. Both sesame and its products are foods with high protein value, particularly rich in certain aminoacids which are lacking in other vegetal foods. A combination of pulse and tahini increases the value of the total protein. Sesame oil is particularly rich in unsaturated fatty acids which help reduce cholesterol. At the same time, sesame is rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc and selenium, elements which are necessary for the good function of the human body.
The consumer trend towards natural, traditional products during the last few years, has led scientists to further research and the discovery of the many new properties of sesame and, consequently, tahini, halva and sesame oil. Although it has been known since antiquity that sesame oil does not go rancid and is better than other oils, we have only discovered recently a series of substances (lignans), which have antioxidant properties, similar to those of vitamin E.
|
