Is Black Sesame The New Matcha?

Bite down any cynicism: black sesame is the new matcha, according to Google trend data. The dark superseed is gaining ground due to reported health benefits – which, should any follicularly-challenged gentlemen read this, apparently includes hair growth – as well as the mainstreaming of Japanese cuisine. Keep an eye out for black sesame lattés popping up this spring. C&TH gives the lowdown on the superseed. 

Why Is Black Sesame Trending?

According to Google search trends, black sesame is set to be one of the top food trends for the year, in a whole host of surprising forms, including lattes and cheesecakes. A 30 percent increase in searches for the superseed suggests a growing palate preoccupation with the intensely flavoured southeast Asian plant.

GAIL’s new springtime Iced Black Sesame Matcha Latte

Londoners will have begun to see many takes on the ingredient. GAIL’s is set to launch a drink in April, with an iced sesame matcha black latte entering its spring menu, and a number of cafés already offer a warm, intensely savoury drink utilising the ingredient (to try now, there’s WA Café, a Japanese patisserie with arms in Covent Garden, Marylebone, and Ealing). For full plates, there’s Osteria Angelina’s ‘brulée black sesame cheesecake with matcha gelato’. 

Josh Owens-Baigler, Osteria Angelina’s cofounder, says that one part of the appeal of black sesame is ‘its intense, nutty and bittersweet flavour.’ In other words, we’re over sugar-rush tastes. ‘It manages to bring a complexity of flavours, especially to desserts, that isn’t overwhelmingly sweet,’ he says. 

Black sesame seeds have been a staple of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and East Asian cuisines for thousands of years (‘and of course it’s traditionally popular in Japanese sweets like mochi’, says Owens-Baigler), but it makes a more recent addition to Western pantries. In 2006, an LA Times article proclaimed that ‘a tiny little black seed is taking the pastry world by storm’, and 20 years later the seed is once again hitting trend pinnacle.

‘Consumers are more and more influenced by Asian cuisine,’ says Natalie Shmulik, head of innovation at trend researching agency JPG Resources. ‘But secondarily, they’re seeking a bit of visual drama in small format.’ 

Maria Dawson, managing director at Japanese organic food company Clearspring, confirms both. They’ve noticed a bump in the popularity of black sesame seeds to the tune of ‘40 percent, year-on-year, in part driven by its visual appeal. It contrasts well on everyday dishes, which means content creators are attracted to them, in turn driving consumer demand.’ 

Do Black Sesame Seeds Offer Any Real Nutritional Benefits?

Sophie Gastman, a nutritionist and author of Find Your Healthy (out 23 April), confirms that these seeds are ‘tiny but mighty additions to your diet’.

‘They pack more antioxidants than regular sesame seeds, which may help protect your cells from oxidative stress, and small studies suggest they could also improve blood pressure,’ she says. Though there are some health claims – and many social media posts – that black sesame seeds can help your hair grow faster, ‘there isn’t much solid evidence for this – that said, they are a great source of nutrients which include iron, calcium and zinc, which are linked to hair health.’ But: ‘don’t expect Rapunzel-level hair overnight.’ 

 

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If you do plan to cook with them, Gastman suggests limiting your intake to no more than one to two tablespoons a day. ‘They’re high in fibre,’ she explains, ‘so it’s best to introduce them gradually, too, especially if you have a sensitive stomach.’ 

How To Cook With Black Sesame Seeds At Home

Andrew Wong is the chef behind the two Michelin-starred restaurant, A Wong, which was the first Chinese restaurant outside Asia to achieve a star. He would consider himself an expert in cooking with black sesame. ‘There are three ways I’d normally cook with black sesame,’ he says, ‘sometimes, for finishing dishes. I top sesame prawn toast with a mix of black and white sesame seeds.’ For a sweeter dish: ‘as a winter solstice dish, make glutinous dumplings, with the filling made from black sesame puree and served in a ginger and sugar syrup. They are like little mochis in a soup.’

‘In desserts it particularly works well with glutinous textures,’ he says. ‘For example, the idea of toffee or caramel with fruit, such as a banana and black sesame, is a nice combination. You can mix with black sesame oil to add extra fragrance. 

He says that the humble black sesame seed was maligned in his early career – ‘I was always told that you shouldn’t cook with at least the oil because it’s carcinogenic,’ he explains – but now it forms a useful base for many ingredients. The main challenge for cooking with it, today, is ‘the cost. Sesame oil is more expensive than vegetable or rapeseed oil, and black sesame seeds in particular are more expensive than white sesame seeds.’ 

Whether black sesame will dethrone matcha remains to be seen – the two are as often paired rather than pitted against each other – but its resurgence signals a broader appetite for savoury-sweets and complex flavours with a functional health benefit. 

Three Cafés To Try Black Sesame Lattes In London Now:

• WA Café (5 New Row, London WC2N 4LH)
• GAIL’s (various locations, from April)
• Café Pedlar (20 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RJ)