I'm making hummus. I've read that it has tahini in it. I now have a packet of sesame seeds and have no idea on what to do with it. Can you help?

 Oh, you pioneer! That's almost like saying, "I'd like to make some cheese, where do I buy a cow?" First of all, hummus (hommus, humus, hommos, etc.) is the Arabic word for chickpea, and, as we all know, only God can make a chickpea. Hummus can also be a simple chickpea paste, made of nothing more than chickpeas that have been soaked, crushed, separated from their skins, cooked, and ground or puréed. The sauce that is almost omnipresent in the Middle East that includes a bit of garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil or sesame oil is also called hummus.

What you're talking about, though, is correctly called hummus bi tahini, or hummus with tahini. Now, we must give you a bit of sad news — almost no one makes tahini at home from sesame seeds. They buy the thick ground sesame paste already made. (To find out how tahini is made commercially, click the link below). The good news, though, is that you can easily make your own hummus with tahini (either store-bought in any Middle Eastern market, many supermarkets, and most gourmet shops, or, yes, made with the sweat of your brow). If you want to do the whole thing from scratch, here's a recipe for making your own Tahini and one for Hummus with Tahini.

If you choose not to make your own tahini, we suggest you use your sesame seeds as a garnish on a nice salad....

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