Sesame

Naming

The word "sesame" is from Latin "sesamum" and Greek σήσαμον: "sēsamon"; which in turn are derived from ancient Semitic languages, e.g., Akkadian "šamaššamu". From these roots, words with the generalized meaning "oil, liquid fat" were derived.

The word "benne" was first recorded to be used in English in 1769 and comes from Gullah "benne" which itself derives from Malinke "bĕne."

Evolution

Sesame seed is considered to be the oldest oilseed crop known to humanity. The genus has many species, and most are wild. Most wild species of the genus "Sesamum" are native to sub-Saharan Africa. "S. indicum," the cultivated type, originated in India.

Archaeological remnants of charred sesame dating to about 3500-3050 BCE suggest sesame was domesticated in the Indian subcontinent at least 5500 years ago. It has been claimed that trading of sesame between Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent occurred by 2000 BC. It is possible that the Indus Valley civilization exported sesame oil to Mesopotamia, where it was known as "ilu" in Sumerian and "ellu" in Akkadian, compare Southern Dravidian Kannada "eḷḷu", Tamil "eḷ".

Some reports claim sesame was cultivated in Egypt during the Ptolemaic period, while others suggest the New Kingdom. Egyptians called it "sesemt", and it is included in the list of medicinal drugs in the scrolls of the "Ebers Papyrus" dated to be over 3600 years old. Excavations of King Tutankhamen uncovered baskets of sesame among other grave goods, suggesting that sesame was present in Egypt by 1350 BC. Archeological reports indicate that sesame was grown and pressed to extract oil at least 2750 years ago in the empire of Urartu. Others believe it may have originated in Ethiopia.

Historically, sesame was favored for its ability to grow in areas that do not support the growth of other crops. It is also a robust crop that needs little farming support—it grows in drought conditions, in high heat, with residual moisture in soil after monsoons are gone or even when rains fail or when rains are excessive. It was a crop that could be grown by subsistence farmers at the edge of deserts, where no other crops grow. Sesame has been called a survivor crop.