In Europe and North America the seeds are used to flavour and garnish various foods, particularly breads and other baked goods. The aroma and taste of sesame seed are mild and nutlike. The chief constituent of the seed is its fixed oil, which usually amounts to about 44 to 60 percent. Noted for its stability, the oil resists oxidative rancidity. It is used as a salad or cooking oil, in shortening and margarine, and in the manufacture of soaps, pharmaceuticals, and lubricants.
Sesame oil is used as an ingredient in cosmetics.
The press cake remaining after the oil is expressed is highly nutritious. Probably originating in Asia or East Africa, sesame is now found in most of the tropical, subtropical, and southern temperate areas of the world. Before the time of Moses, the Egyptians used the ground seed as grain flour. The Chinese used it 5,000 years ago, and for centuries they have burned the oil to make soot for the finest Chinese ink blocks. The Romans ground sesame seeds with cumin to make a pasty spread for bread.