Cooking with Sesame Seeds
Recipes with Sesame Seeds — The Nutty Sparkle on Moroccan Sweets and Breads
Sesame seeds (jinjlan) add a nutty sparkle and gentle crunch across Moroccan sweets, breads and garnishes. Toasted golden, they coat the honey-soaked coils of chebakia, enrich the toasted-flour sweet sellou, crown breads and pastries, and finish sweet-savoury tagines alongside fried almonds. Small but flavourful, sesame is a quiet essential of the Moroccan pantry, especially at Ramadan and for celebrations. This guide covers where sesame seeds shine in Moroccan cooking, how to toast them for the best flavour, and how to buy and store them so they stay fresh.
How Moroccans use sesame seeds
Sesame is used mostly toasted, as a flavouring and garnish. Toasting is essential — raw sesame tastes flat, while toasted seeds turn golden, nutty and fragrant. They are ground and folded into sellou, pressed onto and mixed into chebakia, scattered over breads before baking, and sprinkled to finish pastries and sweet-savoury tagines. Whole toasted seeds add crunch; ground, they lend richness to sweets. Sesame pairs naturally with honey, almonds and warm spice. A dusting of toasted sesame is one of the classic finishes, with fried almonds, on a lamb-and-prune tagine.
The best Moroccan recipes with sesame seeds
Chebakia — the Ramadan sesame-flower pastries, fried, honey-dipped and rolled in sesame. Sellou (sfouf) — toasted flour, almonds and ground sesame bound with honey and butter. Sesame-topped breads like krachel and khobz. Sesame garnish on lamb-and-prune tagine, with fried almonds. Sesame biscuits and sweets for the tea tray. Start with sellou; toasting and grinding sesame with almonds and flour, then binding with honey, shows how central toasted sesame is to Moroccan sweet-making.
Toasting and using sesame seeds
Always toast sesame seeds before use: warm them in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant — a minute or two — then tip them straight out, as they burn fast and turn bitter. For sellou and pastes, grind the toasted seeds; for garnishes and bread toppings, leave them whole. When coating chebakia, press the still-sticky honeyed pastries into toasted sesame so it adheres. Add sesame garnishes near serving so they stay crunchy. A little goes a long way, and freshly toasted seeds are far more flavourful than pre-toasted ones bought long ago.
Buying and storing sesame seeds
Moroccan souks sell sesame seeds loose by weight, usually the pale hulled kind — choose seeds that smell fresh and nutty, avoiding any with a sharp, oily, rancid smell, since sesame's oils do eventually turn. Buy in amounts you will use within a few months. Store raw sesame seeds airtight in a cool, dark place, or in the fridge or freezer for longer keeping in warm weather. Toast them fresh as needed rather than toasting a large batch in advance, so their nutty aroma is at its brightest when they go into your sweets and dishes.
Cook's tips
- Always toast sesame seeds before use — raw ones taste flat.
- Toast over medium heat, stirring, and tip them out the moment they turn golden; they burn fast.
- Grind toasted seeds for sellou and pastes; leave them whole for garnishes and bread.
- Press honeyed chebakia into toasted sesame while still sticky so it adheres.
- Store raw seeds airtight and cool, and toast fresh as needed for the brightest flavour.
Questions about cooking with Sesame Seeds
Why do I need to toast sesame seeds?
Raw sesame seeds taste flat, while toasting turns them golden, nutty and fragrant, transforming their flavour. Warm them in a dry pan, stirring constantly, until golden — a minute or two — then tip them out at once, as they scorch and turn bitter quickly. Toasting is essential for chebakia, sellou, bread toppings and garnishes alike.
What is sellou?
Sellou (also called sfouf) is a rich Moroccan sweet made from flour toasted until nutty, ground toasted almonds and sesame seeds, bound with honey, melted butter and warm spices into a dense, sandy mixture eaten in small spoonfuls. Energy-dense and keeping well, it is especially popular during Ramadan and for celebrations. Toasted sesame is central to its flavour.
How are sesame seeds used on chebakia?
Sesame seeds are both mixed into the chebakia dough and rolled onto the pastries. After the fried chebakia are plunged into warm honey, they are pressed into or sprinkled with toasted sesame while still sticky, so the seeds adhere and add nutty crunch. The sesame coating is part of what makes these Ramadan sweets so distinctive.
Do sesame seeds go on Moroccan tagines?
Yes — a scattering of toasted sesame seeds, alongside fried almonds, is a classic finish for sweet-savoury tagines such as lamb with prunes. Added near serving, the sesame stays crunchy and adds a nutty note against the soft, glazed fruit and tender meat. It is a small touch that marks a carefully finished dish.
How should I store sesame seeds?
Keep raw sesame seeds airtight in a cool, dark place, and in warm weather use the fridge or freezer for longer keeping, since their oils eventually turn rancid. Buy amounts you will use within a few months, and toast them fresh as needed rather than in large batches, so their nutty aroma is at its best when used.
Cook these dishes with a local in Marrakech
Learn to handle sesame seeds the Moroccan way in a hands-on cooking class, or taste it across the medina on a guided food tour.