Sesame

Sesame

Sesame
Sesame seeds is one of the oldest seeds known to mankind. No one is quite sure of its exact origin, however it is known that the Egyptians ground the seed to make flour, the Romans ground the seeds with cumin to make a pastry for bread and the Chinese have been using sesame seeds for the past 5.000 years. Today, sesame plants can be found in Asia, North Africa as well as in Central America.
Description
Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds. It is an annual plant growing to 50 to 100 cm (2-3 feet) tall, with opposite leaves 4 to 14 cm (5.5 in) long with an entire margin; they are broad lanceolate, to 5 cm (2 in) broad, at the base of the plant, narrowing to just 1 cm (half an inch) broad on the flowering stem.