Tahini

Good job, Melissa.

Tahini is a basic condiment in many Mid-Eastern and Turkish foods. I'm on my way to work, right now, but will try and get you some references in the next day or two.

Hope this helps you out Melissa

Sorry to be so long responding, Melissa. But life gets in the way.

By coincidence, I was watching a re-run of Chopped, and tahini was one of the mystery ingredients. Each of the four contestants used it in either a sauce or a salad dressing. One of them even included it in a version of Hollandaise.

As I did my research I was astounded at how versatile an ingredient it is. “The Middle East Kitchen” has nearly 25 references to tahini.
Here are some of my findings. I’ve decided to just give you a view of how interesting an ingredient it can be, rather than specific recipes, which we can discuss later if you wish:

There are numerous versions of Tahini Sauce. All of variations on the theme, with other flavorings mixed with the tahini. Included are lemon, garlic, herbs, etc.

Baba Ghanaouj is, of course, the iconic Lebanese eggplant dip. We have several versions of it posted at FotW, if you do a search. Even people who normally don’t eat eggplant seem to love this application of tahini.

“The Mid-East Cookbook,” has a number of dishes using tahini. Among them Tahini & Parsley Sauce, from Lebanon; Tahini Salad, from Egypt; Tahini Cake, from Greece; and Tahini Cookies, from Armenia.

In “The Lebanese Cookbook” I found an interesting recipe for Kofta Bil Tahini. Kofta (under various spellings) is, essentially, ground lamb and flavorings pressed into a baking dish; or formed into meatballs. This one is the former, topped with a tahini sauce.

In “Egyptian Cooking” there are five recipes. Tahini with—eggplant; beetroot; cauliflower; chickpeas; and fish.

Consistent with the Ottoman adoption and adaptation of ingredients from elsewhere, “The Turkish Cookbook has at least a half dozen recipes---including several desserts using tahini. They are: Diamonds with Tahini & Walnuts; Semolina Dessert with Tahini; Tahini, Walnut & Sesame Rolls; Tea Bread Twists with Tahini & Molasses; and White Bean Salad with Tahini.

If any of these sound interesting to you I’ll be happy to post the actual recipes. I’m also sure that a web search will reveal dozens of uses for this versatile ingredient.

Melissa, I was discussing, with Ron, my PM to you regarding possible problems with recipes in the Foods Of The World books. He came up with a suggestion I should have thought of.

If, as you browse the books, a particular recipe strikes your fancy, why not ask about it here, first. That way, any of us who have made it, or who have made other versions, can highlight any potential pitfalls.

Might make it easier for you to enjoy the FOTW experience.