One of the oldest (and least understood) of pop culture phrases, "open sesame" was provided to the world by Scheherazade in her telling of the story "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" in "One Thousand and One Nights", a collection of Middle Eastern tales that go back to at least the 10th century. In the story, the phrase "open sesame" was used to open up a sealed cave where a group of thieves resided. The reason this term was used is because a ripe sesame seed pod will burst open at the slightest touch. This common phrase has since permeated our culture and has been used in a wide variety of contexts.
Sesame seeds are thought to be the world's oldest condiment and have been an integral part of the cuisine of India, Sumer, Egypt, and the Asian subcontinent for thousands of years. A creation legend from Assyria tells us that one night the Gods drank their fill of sesame wine, the next day they created the earth, forever intertwining the two. Archeological evidence shows that the use of sesame oil as a food goes back to at least 3000 BCE in the Middle East and that Babylonians were using it as a base for their perfumes as early as 2100 BCE. It may seem as if sesame seeds on bread may be a new idea, but there are Egyptian paintings depicting bakers sprinkling them on the dough. And although sesame seeds are a well-known food, they are also a medicine, used at least since the time of the writing of the Divine Husbandman's Classic of the Materia Medica, written over 2,000 years ago.
Sesame seeds are used in cuisine throughout the world. It is a popular topping for bread and is often combined with sugar or honey in desserts such as the Middle Eastern halvah or Greek pasteli. Sesame can also be ground into a butter known as tahini, which by itself is quite bitter - but combines very well with maple syrup, jams, and honey or savory ingredients like garlic and paprika. Organic sesame seeds are from a flowering plant that is native to the tropical regions of Africa. Interestingly, however, the plant was first domesticated in the Indus River Valley of what is now Pakistan nearly 4,000 years ago. Linguistic evidence indicates that bulk sesame seeds were an important source of oil to the peoples of south-central Asia. Sesame still occupies a significant place in the cultures of Pakistan and India; in the latter, sesame oil is part of important Hindu rituals. In the Urdu language of Pakistan, sesame is used as a metaphor: a mean-spirited person is described as a sesame seed that has no oil. Among Arabs and modern-day pagans, sesame is thought to bring good fortune.
NOTE: Sesame is a relatively common cause of food allergy.
In magick, sesame seeds are sacred to Hecate, Ganesha, and Helios. I can be used in all types of attraction spells, but especially for lust or money.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
