SESAME SEED. 



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the warmer regions of the globe. In Europe it is only grown in 

 some districts of Turkey and Greece, and on a small scale in the 

 islands of Malta and Gozo. It does not succeed well in the south of 

 France. From southern Asia it extends eastward to Japan, and is 

 cultivated as far as 42° N. lat. It has a wide range, being grown in 

 parts of South and Central America, British Guiana, and the West 

 Indies. In the former it is known as ajonjoli, in the West Indies as 

 oily seed, and in Demerara as wanglo. When parched and pounded 

 the seeds make a rich soup. Children are very fond of the seeds, 

 which have a milky flavour. In Egypt they are eaten after being 

 baked in an oven and sprinkled over bread and pastry. The residual 

 cake, after the oil is extracted, is also eaten kneaded with honey. 



Eenni seed, as it is called in parts of Africa, is extensively used in 

 Oriental countries for aromatizing the church bread and for the 

 preparation of the renowned Chcdba, which is eaten during fasts by 

 all Orientals. It consists of the finely powdered seeds, which are 

 mixed with honey, and oftentimes also with sugar. 



The negroes use the seeds for making a sort of beverage, something 

 like coffee, by roasting and infusing them in water. 



Til seed is grown in the northern provinces of Siam ; 50,000 cwts. 

 were shipped from Bangkok in 1868, and 77,000 cwts., valued at 

 183,009Z., in 1870. There are 870,000 acres under culture with this 

 oil-seed in the Madras Presidency, chiefly in the Godavery. Three 

 varieties of sesame seed are cultivated in India, the white-seeded 

 (Suffed-til), the red or parti-coloured (Kala-til), and the black variety 

 {Tillee) ; it is the latter which affords the greater proportion of the 

 gingely oil of commerce. A second sort of sesame oil, sometimes 

 called " rape," is obtained from the red-seeded variety. Black sesame 

 is sown in March and ripens in May. Eed sesame is not sown till 

 June. The word sesame is said to be derived from simsim, the Arabic 

 name of the plant. One of the advantages of the culture of this plant 

 consists in its quick return of produce, as it comes to perfection within 

 three or four months. Its capsules contain numerous small, flat seeds. 

 To collect them, the plant, when mature, is cut down, and stacked in 

 heaps for a few days, after which it is exposed to the sun during the 

 day, but collected again into heaps at night. By this process the 

 capsules gradually ripen and burst, and the seeds fall out. The plant 

 is found in several varieties, affording respectively white, yellowish, 

 reddish-brown, and black seeds. The dark seeds may be deprived of 

 a part of their colouring matter by washing, which is sometimes done 

 with a view to obtain a pale oil. The white seeds produced in Sind 

 are reported to yield the finest oil. The seeds are largely consumed 

 as food both in India and tropical Africa. The island of Formosa 

 grows a large quantity — 8700 cwts. were shipped in 1871 — and it is 

 also cultivated in Zanzibar and Senegal. From the latter French 

 colony 600 cwts. were shipped in 1870. This oil-seed now also 

 appears in the markets of Bakel. The yield of oil from the seed 

 is about 40 to 50 per cent., and its specific gravity 0-9258. The 

 Jaffa sesame seed is all exported to France, as it is much appre- 

 ciated there, and considered to be of the best kind on account of its 

 making fine oil for eating purposes. It fetches the highest prices 



