At first glance, the secret password ‘ in the classic tale may seem odd, or insignificant. But the choice of the sesame seed (sem sem in Arabic), which is the sole ingredient in - the rich spread long treasured in Middle Eastern cooking - was no accident.
In the ancient Middle East, was both food and medicine, and, according to James Mosely, author of , just as that cave bursts open to reveal untold riches, “when sesame seeds are ripe, they burst open with a pop reminiscent of a springing lock”.
Tahini also features in South-East Asian, Central Asian, and African cooking, but, it is its esteemed place in Middle-Eastern cooking (particularly from the Levant region encompassing Syria, , Palestine, and ) that has propelled its popularity across the globe, and it is the Arab language that gives tahini – or more accurately tahinnyya – its name.
More than merely an exotic alternative to at trendy cafes, tahini is a vital ingredient in many Arab dishes you’re probably already eating without even realising it.
The full name of , for instance, is hummus bi tahiniyya – literally ‘chickpeas in tahini’. , the smoky eggplant dip features tahini as its second ingredient, and the Arab sweet is a tahini-based dessert.
Syrian-style hummus, as shown on Shane Delia's Spice Journey. Source: Shane Delia's Spice Journey
Imagine my surprise, then, when several times over the past few weeks, I have come across numerous and books gushing about the virtues of tahini – but either forgetting or deliberately omitting its connection to the Arab world.
One popular ‘’ cookbook, for instance, acknowledges tahini’s importance in many cultures, but doesn’t name any of them, not even the culture and language that actually gives the wonder paste its name: Levantine Arabic.
Then there are the increasing number of articles that appear credit tahini’s invention to Israeli chefs. One claims to provide a ‘short history of tahini’, but also neglects to mention Arab cooking, instead singing the praises of an American company on a mission to, “”. From Israel.
To be clear, this is not about who “owns” or is “allowed” to eat what food. Rather, it is a reminder that there are some foods that are indelibly tied to certain to regions and cultures, and to deny this history is an act of aggression.
For some years now, there has been a concerted effort to . ''Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is trying to improve Israel's image to the world…through culture,'' . “They started sending artists, singers, painters, filmmakers and then the idea came of sending chefs.''
Chocolate nut halva cake: another great use of tahini. Source: John Laurie
, , and , which go back centuries, are now promoted as Israeli foods, even though Israel itself has only existed . This might seem harmless since Israelis also eat them, and some Israelis have Middle-Eastern ancestry going back many generations.
However, in a time where Palestinians continue to be denied their own state with and even denying their existence, and Arab people in general are routinely mocked as lacking cultural value, the embrace of Arab food is not a celebration of a shared cultural experience, it is a form of cultural erasure. Attributing these foods solely to Israel is a way of legitimising that country while simultaneously delegitimising Palestine and Levantine Arab culture in general.
One popular ‘superfood’ cookbook, for instance, acknowledges tahini’s importance in many cultures, but doesn’t name any of them, not even the culture and language that actually gives the wonder paste its name: Levantine Arabic.
American celebrity chef Rachael Ray took this erasure to bold new heights recently when she managed to on her Twitter feed. Twitter, of course, responded in classic style by tweeting pictures of everything from to under the banner “Israeli nite”.
Sure, it’s tempting to laugh it off, but this is true cultural appropriation: taking one aspect of a certain culture and praising it, adopting it, and claiming it as one’s own, even as the culture from which it came is maligned and disempowered.
In Levantine Arabic, when one is about to eat, the custom is to say to them, saha, which loosely means ‘bon appétit’, but literally translates to ‘health,’ and an appropriate reply is ala albeek, meaning ‘to your heart’.
Health to your heart. This is the role food plays in Levantine Arab culture; nourishment for our physical bodies and our emotional wellbeing. Tahini is a true wonder food, one that tastes as good as it is for you, with a proud history and tradition that my ancestors have helped passed down from generation to generation.
The building blocks of tahini. (Benito Martin)
Although high in calories, consisting purely of ground sesame seeds in all their oily richness, it is also nutrient-dense - a great source of calcium as well as iron and protein. Indeed, it is foods such as , along with (as in the actual chickpeas), lentils and other legumes that feature so heavily in the dishes of the Levant that made it so easy for me to adopt a vegan diet without looking back.
So while it is a joy to see tahini spread (ahem) so far across the world, please don’t erase its history and the people and places that helped bring it you. Ala albeek.
