Moroccan Organic Sesame Seeds

✨ Moroccan Organic Sesame Seeds — The Jaljalan of Every Moroccan Kitchen

Moroccan organic sesame seeds are small, flat, teardrop-shaped seeds with a delicate nutty flavour that deepens beautifully once they are toasted. In Morocco they are best known as jaljalan (جلجلان), also said jenjlan (جنجلان) in Darija, and in Arabic as simsim (سمسم) or بذور السمسم. In French they are graines de sésame, and their botanical name is Sesamum indicum. The photograph shows a generous pile of whole, light golden-beige seeds, each one marked with its fine central line.

🌿 Traditional and Cultural Uses

Sesame is one of the oldest cultivated oilseeds, grown for thousands of years across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In Moroccan homes it belongs to celebration: toasted jaljalan was worked into sellou (also called sfouf or zmita) and pressed onto honey-glazed chebakia for Ramadan evenings, and scattered over ghriba, krachel and festive breads for Eid, weddings and family gatherings. In Moroccan household tradition, sellou rich in toasted sesame was prepared for new mothers after childbirth to help them regain their strength. Across the Arab world the seeds were ground into tahini (طحينة) and pressed for sesame oil, and the famous words “Open sesame” (افتح يا سمسم) from the tale of Ali Baba still carry the little seed into everyday speech.

🍳 How to Use

• 🔥 Toast the seeds in a dry pan until golden and fragrant before adding them to sweets and breads.
• 🍪 Mix them into sellou, chebakia, ghriba, krachel and fekkas, or press them onto bread before baking.
• 🍲 Scatter toasted seeds over a tagine of lamb with prunes and almonds just before serving.
• 🥗 Sprinkle them over salads, roasted vegetables, yoghurt or a breakfast bowl.
• 🥄 Grind them into homemade tahini for sauces, dips and dressings.

🥣 Recipe: Toasted Sesame and Homemade Tahini

1. Spread 200g of sesame seeds in a wide, dry pan over medium-low heat.
2. Stir constantly for 5 to 8 minutes, until the seeds turn golden and smell nutty. Do not let them darken.
3. Tip them onto a plate and let them cool completely. They are now ready for sellou, sweets or garnishing.
4. For tahini, blend the cooled seeds in a food processor for a few minutes, scraping down the sides, until they form a crumbly paste.
5. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of a neutral oil and blend again until smooth and pourable. Add a pinch of salt if you like.

🧾 Ingredients

100% organic whole sesame seeds. Nothing else is added.

🔬 Product Profile

Sesame is the seed of Sesamum indicum, a flowering plant of the Pedaliaceae family grown in warm regions of Africa and Asia. This product is supplied as whole, loose, dry seeds, ready for toasting, grinding or baking.

📦 How We Sell It

Supplied as whole, loose sesame seeds in 100g, 250g, 500g, 1kg, 2kg, 3kg and 5kg options. The larger sizes suit families preparing sellou and chebakia for Ramadan or a celebration.

⚠️ Usage Note

Sesame is a common food allergen, so these seeds are not suitable for anyone with a sesame allergy.

🌤️ Storage

Keep the seeds in a tightly closed jar or pouch in a cool, dry and dark cupboard. Sesame is rich in natural oil, so heat and light shorten its freshness; stored well, the seeds keep their flavour for several months, and longer in the refrigerator. Toast only what you need for the recipe.