Sesame seeds
Sesame seed, from Sesamum indicum, is about half oil and is eaten whole, ground into paste or pressed into oil. It was a crop of South Asia by the Harappan period and reached Mesopotamia before 2000 BC.
Modern method
Gomashio
ごま塩 · gomashio · gomasio
Toasted sesame seeds and sea salt are ground together into a coarse seasoning for rice. This small pan-roasted batch keeps most of the seed texture.
The seasoning and its use
The opened Japanese agriculture source documents sesame salt as a sekihan topping and notes regional variation; Tanaka Foods lists warm rice, rice balls and bento as uses for its distinct packaged formula. Sesame is an allergen under U.S. FDA rules. Do not imply this batch matches every retail gomashio or lowers salt intake. **Mechanism and evidence limits:** Pan heat dries the ingredients and toasts sesame; mortar grinding breaks some seeds and combines their released oil with the salt. This is not fermentation. The recipe source gives no yield or measured storage endpoint, only the short refrigerated use period above. It does not establish a universal ratio or first-use date. **Sources:** [Eating for your Health, “Gomasio”](https://recipes.eatingforyourhealth.org/content/gomasio) (formula and method); [Japan MAFF, “Sekihan (Red rice)”](https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/search_menu/1072/index.html) (regional rice use); [Tanaka Foods](https://www.tanaka-foods.co.jp/en/product_line/sesame_and_salt.html) (one commercial formula and uses); [U.S. FDA, “Food Allergies”](https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/food-allergies) (allergen context).
Sources for this section
Equipment and preparation
Heavy pan, heatproof plate, suribachi or mortar and pestle, capped jar. **Method:** Wash and drain the seeds. Over medium heat, stir the salt constantly for about 5 minutes, then remove it. Stir the sesame in the same pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until seeds begin to pop; avoid scorching and cool until comfortable to handle. Grind the salt fine. Add sesame and grind with light pressure until about 80% of seeds are broken and the salt is coated. Refrigerate in a tightly capped jar; the source says to use within one or two weeks. **Difficulty (1–5; maximum dimension sets overall):** temperature 2; monitoring 2; equipment 2; timing 2; scaling 2; **overall 2**. These are preparation-skill ratings, not safety ratings. **Food and use:** The opened Japanese agriculture source documents sesame salt as a sekihan topping and notes regional variation; Tanaka Foods lists warm rice, rice balls and bento as uses for its distinct packaged formula. Sesame is an allergen under U.S. FDA rules. Do not imply this batch matches every retail gomashio or lowers salt intake. **Mechanism and evidence limits:** Pan heat dries the ingredients and toasts sesame; mortar grinding breaks some seeds and combines their released oil with the salt. This is not fermentation. The recipe source gives no yield or measured storage endpoint, only the short refrigerated use period above. It does not establish a universal ratio or first-use date. **Sources:** [Eating for your Health, “Gomasio”](https://recipes.eatingforyourhealth.org/content/gomasio) (formula and method); [Japan MAFF, “Sekihan (Red rice)”](https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/search_menu/1072/index.html) (regional rice use); [Tanaka Foods](https://www.tanaka-foods.co.jp/en/product_line/sesame_and_salt.html) (one commercial formula and uses); [U.S. FDA, “Food Allergies”](https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/food-allergies) (allergen context).
Sources for this section
What the process changes
Pan heat dries the ingredients and toasts sesame; mortar grinding breaks some seeds and combines their released oil with the salt. This is not fermentation. The recipe source gives no yield or measured storage endpoint, only the short refrigerated use period above. It does not establish a universal ratio or first-use date. **Sources:** [Eating for your Health, “Gomasio”](https://recipes.eatingforyourhealth.org/content/gomasio) (formula and method); [Japan MAFF, “Sekihan (Red rice)”](https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/search_menu/1072/index.html) (regional rice use); [Tanaka Foods](https://www.tanaka-foods.co.jp/en/product_line/sesame_and_salt.html) (one commercial formula and uses); [U.S. FDA, “Food Allergies”](https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/food-allergies) (allergen context).
Sources for this section
History
Japanese sources document sesame salt with sekihan, rice balls and bento; they do not establish a first-use date or single birthplace.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
59 mL4 tbsp as recorded
3.7 mL¾ tsp as recorded
Method
Risks and precautions
Sesame allergy
Sesame is a major food allergen; this seasoning contains sesame seeds.
Hazard sourceContains sesame; avoid this seasoning if you have a sesame allergy.
- Wash and drain sesame seeds.
- Over medium heat, stir salt constantly for about 5 minutes; remove from pan.
- Stir sesame over medium heat for about 5 minutes until seeds begin to pop; avoid scorching and cool until comfortable to handle.
- Grind salt fine, add sesame and grind lightly until about 80% of seeds are broken and salt is coated.
- Refrigerate in a tightly capped jar; source says use within 1–2 weeks.
Conditions
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
Japan
Documented preparation · Country evidenceA documented rice-seasoning association, not a claim that the selected teaching formula originated here.
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Sources
Eating for your HealthInspiration · Method
Gomasio4 tablespoons whole sesame seeds and 3/4 teaspoon sea salt; roasting and suribachi method; approximate stages; refrigerated storage for one or two weeks.
Cited in: The seasoning and its use; Equipment and preparation; What the process changes
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, JapanContext
Sekihan (Red rice)Use of sesame salt with sekihan and documented regional and household variation.
Cited in: The seasoning and its use
Tanaka FoodsContext
Gomashio (Sesame and Salt Rice seasoning)Commercial ingredient variation and uses with warm rice, rice balls and bento.
Cited in: The seasoning and its use
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationContext
Food AllergiesSesame is a major food allergen in U.S. federal labelling rules.
Cited in: The seasoning and its use