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The Turkish pantry

Tahini

Tahini is a paste made from roasted or toasted sesame kernels.

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Sesame paste made from roasted or toasted kernels. Sweetened tahini products and whole-seed versus hulled products can differ.

Smooth beige sesame paste with a shallow spoon groove

Types & forms

Plain tahini

Look for sesame as the ingredient.

Sweetened sesame spread · comparison

Added sweeteners change its use in savory dressing.

What to look for when buying

  • Choose plain tahini for piyaz, checking the sesame ingredient and any additions.
  • Read allergen information; tahini contains sesame.

Prepare & cook

  • Stir separated oil back into the paste before measuring.
  • Add the recipe’s liquids gradually and stir until the dressing reaches the intended consistency.

Store it well

  • Keep tightly closed and follow the jar’s directions after opening.
  • Use clean utensils and keep water out of the stored paste.

Substitutions depend on the dish

Another nut or seed butter

Changes flavor and allergens. It creates a different dressing rather than an unchanged tahini piyaz.

Related skills

  • A cook pouring olive oil into a bowl of golden dressing while stirring with a balloon whisk.

    Mixing, Thickening & Emulsifying

    Whisk a smooth dressing

    Combine the dressing before it meets the food, so flavor and texture are easier to control.

Nutrition

Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, from roasted and toasted kernels (most common type) [1]

Per 100 g edible portion
NutrientAmount
Energy595 kcal
Protein17 g
Total fat53.8 g
Saturated fat7.53 g
Carbohydrate21.2 g
Dietary fiber9.3 g
Total sugars0.49 g
Sodium115 mg
Cholesterol0 mg
Calcium426 mg
Iron8.95 mg
Potassium414 mg
Vitamin D0 µg

Tahini from roasted or toasted kernels. Whole-seed products, sweetened spreads and diluted sauces can differ. Values are rounded for readability; “not reported” does not mean zero. A “<” value is below the source’s measurement limit.

[1] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, from roasted and toasted kernels (most common type)

Nutrition values come from the reference source named above. They are published reference values, not our own measurements. Actual products and cooking methods may change the values.

At the Turkish table

Tahini supplies the sesame flavor and body in our Antalya-style piyaz dressing.

Cook with Tahini

White bean salad with tahini, tomato, parsley and hard-boiled egg wedges on a blue-and-white platter beside a coastal window.
Antalya style

White Bean Salad with Tahini

Cooked white beans with a lemon-tahini dressing, tomato and parsley, topped with hard-boiled eggs. An Antalya-style home adaptation.

Creamy chickpea dip with a swirl of olive oil, whole chickpeas, parsley and red pepper on a shallow plate

Hummus

Smooth chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon and garlic, finished with olive oil and red pepper.

Tender orange pumpkin slices in syrup with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of tahini
Antalya style

Pumpkin Dessert

Pumpkin slowly cooked in its own syrup, lightly browned in the oven and finished with double-roasted tahini and walnuts.