I Just Learned What A Sesame Plant Actually Looks Like, And I Had No Idea

I've been scoffing the seeds all these years in blissful ignorance.
via Associated Press

Sometimes, a TikTok makes you reconsider your entire understanding of the world.

This was the case when I came across pop culture and lifestyle creator @milangarcon’s new video last night.

“I enjoy sesame seed oil, but I’m wondering at this point in my life ― if sesame seeds are seeds, what the fuck is a sesame?”

It’s an excellent question, to which I, too, had absolutely no answer.

Commenters mentioned “sesame seed pods”, which I couldn’t even imagine, so I thought I’d investigate further.

What IS a sesame, anyway?

A sesame plant is an annual plant of the Pedaliaceae family, according to Brittanica’s online encyclopedia.

The plant grows from half a metre to two-and-a-half metres tall. White flowers appear in groups of one to three beside the leaves when they bloom.

Some have branches, and some don’t. The seeds form in clusters, which have historically burst open when the plant dries out, helping to spread them around.

Those pods’ explosive nature used to mean that harvesting the seeds was a really tricky process.

Luckily, though, a non-scattering variety was bred in the mid-20th century which allowed farmers to harvest the seeds with machines.

That’s good news, as sesame oil is used in a lot of soaps, pharmaceuticals, shortening, margarine and (of course) for cooking.

Sesame seeds are used in a lot of breads and baked goods as well as halva, tahini and those really tasty little bars you only eat about once every five years, but love every time.

A sesame plant.
via Associated Press
A sesame plant.

What do those seed pods look like?

Food and farming-focused TikToker 5 Acre Living shared a close-up of the seed pods, which look a little bit like a cross between a catkin and a pistachio.

When opened, you can see lines of seeds nestled along their segments like the peas in snap peas.

“So that’s where they come from...” one app user wrote under the clip.

Another asked: “Who would have known?” (not me until now, anyway!).

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