The Sesame Seed is very essential in the Mediterranean cuisine. The seed has been one of the most important summer crops in the Middle East for thousands of years, which explains why sesame is everywhere in our cooking, from savory to sweet.
On the Mediterranean block, each culture calls this candy differently. The Greeks call it Pasteli, the Turks call it Sesame Seed Candy, the Arabs call it Simsmiye, the Israelis call it Crunchy Sesame Seed Candy.
The version of Sesame candy most commonly sold at the market is generally very hard. This classic version with honey creates a chewy texture with the fabulous tastes of sesame seeds and honey.
Sesame seeds have one of the highest oil contents of any seed—so even though they are tiny, they pack serious flavor. Sesame is very nutritional and it has cancer-fighting anti-oxidants, cholesterol-reducing fatty acids, and it is rich in vitamins, minerals and protein.
Well, enough history about this candy and let’s get cooking!
I followed the same recipe and roasted 2 cups of raw peanuts to make Peanut Honey Candy
Method:
- Spread out a piece of baking Parchment paper on your work surface/counter.
- Dab a bit of water on your hand then onto the Parchment paper (so the mixture doesn’t stick to the paper). Keep aside
- In a saucepan, toast your sesame seeds until golden in color. Set aside to cool.(or you can follow the oven method below)
- In a saucepan, bring honey and sugar to a boil.
- As soon as the mixture comes to a full rolling boil, cook it for exactly 4 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and immediately stir in the sesame seeds until well mixed.
- Quickly turn out the hot mixture onto the parchment paper.
- Dab your hand with a bit of cold water and level the hot mixture evenly and thinly.
- Be careful not to burn your hand as the mixture is hot.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the large square of warm candy into very small squares, diamonds, or rectangles.
- Cool the candies completely; then store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
- If a professional look is desired, roll each cooked candy in a small piece of stiff cellophane and twist the ends.
- These candies freeze well.
P.S: For the oven method: Preheat the oven to 350˚F. On a heavy duty baking sheet, spread the sesame seeds out in an even layer by shaking the pan a bit. Baking time will depend on how thick your layer of seeds is, but for a cup it takes about 12 minutes, shaking the pan every few minutes to “stir” the seeds, until they are golden brown.