Tahini is a simple ingredient — toasted sesame seeds, ground into an oily paste. It had a moment in the food fad cycle in 2016, but has since faded into the background. Local writer and cookbook author Rachel Belle thinks that is a mistake. In her new book Open Sesame!, she argues that tahini deserves a spot in the center of every kitchen. 

In this episode, Tan visits Rachel for a blind taste test of four tahinis, and learns the role the ingredient plays in Rachel’s homemade hummus recipe. 

Rachel’s bookOpen Sesame! is out now. She also hosts local food show The Nosh on Cascade PBS and the podcast Your Last Meal. 

Recommendations in this episode:
Haddar by Baracke tahini 
365 Whole Foods Market tahini 
Soom tahini
Aviv Hummus Bar, Capitol Hill — try the classic hummus bowl and pita bread

 

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

Tahini is a simple ingredient &mdash; toasted sesame seeds, ground into an oily paste. It had a moment in the food fad cycle in 2016, but has since faded into the background. Local writer and cookbook author Rachel Belle thinks that is a mistake. In her new book&nbsp;Open Sesame!, she argues that tahini deserves a spot in the center of every kitchen.&nbsp;
In this episode, Tan visits Rachel for a blind taste test of four tahinis, and learns the role the ingredient plays in Rachel&rsquo;s homemade hummus recipe.&nbsp;
Rachel&rsquo;s book<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747086/open-sesame-by-belle-rachel/"> Open Sesame!</a> is out now. She also hosts local food show <a href="https://video.cascadepbs.org/show/the-nosh-with-rachel-belle/episodes">The Nosh</a> on Cascade PBS and the podcast <a href="https://www.hellorachelbelle.com/yourlastmeal">Your Last Meal</a>.&nbsp;
Recommendations in this episode:
<ul>
<li>Haddar by Baracke tahini&nbsp;</li>
<li>365 Whole Foods Market tahini&nbsp;</li>
<li>Soom tahini</li>
<li>Aviv Hummus Bar, Capitol Hill &mdash; try the classic hummus bowl and pita bread</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at <a href="http://kuow.org/eats">kuow.org/eats</a> and <a href="http://seattletimes.com">seattletimes.com</a>.

The Seattle food scene and the best things to eat in it. New episodes every Thursday.

 

The Seattle food scene and the best things to eat in it. New episodes every Thursday.
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Seattle Eats

Tan and Seattle-based food journalist and author Rachel Belle dive deep into tahini and the role it plays in Rachel's homemade hummus recipe. This simple ingredient has a wealth of flavor and uses, as well as a complex history in Middle Eastern culture. 