The Tahini Table: Go Beyond Hummus with 100 Recipes for Every Meal

by Zitelman, Andrew Schloss, Jillian Guyette (Photographs)

Most people who know about tahini understand the sesame paste as simply one of the building blocks of hummus. But for Amy Zitelman, CEO and cofounder of woman-owned Soom Foods—the leading purveyor of tahini and tahini products in the American market—the culinary potential of tahini goes far beyond hummus. In The Tahini Go Beyond Hummus with 100 Recipes for Every Meal , tahini is introduced to home cooks as a new pantry staple that can be used in recipes from dips to desserts.

Tahini, made from pressed roasted sesame seeds, is a healthy, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and low-sugar superfood rich in Omega fatty acids, protein, and calcium. Although tahini’s historical roots are in the Middle East, Zitelman aims to stretch the culinary borders of tahini outside of traditional Middle-Eastern fare. The Tahini Table contains 100 recipes that showcase tahini’s wide range of uses. This “cult condiment” is mild enough to step in as an inspiring replacement for the eggs, cheese, mayo, and cream called for in recipes that American home cooks are making for their families every day. The Tahini Table provides tahini hacks for reimagined American classics, including vegan “queso,” eggless mayonnaise, and gluten-free brownies.

From Vegan Mac and “Cheese” and Tahini Chicken Schnitzel, to Chocolate Halvah French Toast and Tahini Flan, Zitelman writes with the home cook in mind, incorporating tahini into everyday cooking in delicious and unexpected ways. With beautiful color photos, contributions from top restaurant chefs, and easy substitutions for a variety of diets, The Tahini Table proves that tahini is the next must-have pantry staple for home cooks everywhere.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

248 pages, Hardcover

Published November 10, 2020

Reviews

[Sharon Mensing · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book is, “Go Beyond Hummus with 100 Recipes for Every Meal,” and the book does just that while not leaving hummus out. After a short introduction explaining what quality tahini is and why a cook should not settle for the inferior products generally available in grocery stores, Zitelman moves on to an in-depth discussion of a well-stocked Mediterranean pantry.

She gives new tips for tasks every cook encounters, such as how to chop garlic (chopping it with coarse salt helps break down the garlic and you're undoubtedly going to use the salt in the recipe anyway) and how to save lemon zest by drying. When she moves on to the recipes, categorized by meal, she uses a code to identify those appropriate for various dietary restrictions, paleo diets, and friendly for families.

There are many recipes for sauces, dressings, and dips; Gareth and I especially loved the melodiously named Cannellini Tahini, although the recipe makes A LOT for just two people. Breakfast includes new takes on staples such as Tahini Benedict and Tahini Banana Bread, while lunch sandwiches, salads, and sides branch out to a tahini version of Cold Spicy Sesame Noodles.

The main dishes use tahini in creative ways, with Adeena Sussman’s Skillet Chicken with Date Syrup, Sumac, and Tahini stealing the show and becoming a new favorite in this household. We also loved the Tahini Chicken Schnitzel. Zitelman shows us that even desserts can be based on tahini, especially when using a chocolate tahini her company (Soom) sells. Brownies, cakes, candy, and ice cream can all be made more delicious, and more nutritious, using tahini.

The photos in the book beautifully showcase the recipes, through which Zitelman has accomplished her goal to make cooking with tahini more accessible for the home cook. When I read the introduction that talked about different grades of tahini, it seemed a bit like a sales pitch for her company (Soom) and I was highly skeptical. I bought several grocery store brands, and order the Soom brand through Amazon...and now I'm a believer. There really was no comparison. We'll be cooking with tahini a lot more now, and we'll be using the more expensive Soom stuff.

I highly recommend this book if you are at all interested in Mediterranean food and want to explore different (and traditional) ways to use tahini to increase the nutritional value of your cooking.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

though zitelman's sauce / condiment recipes interest me the most, i did make her tahini banana bread this weekend and it turned out delightfully nutty. however, this cookbook could benefit from more food history research: some recipes feel like they've been naively plucked from any cultural context. i also wish that this cookbook contained less binary "health-is-good-indulgence-is-bad" language, but i'll have to reflect more on why i take umbrage to that. i'm still glad that someone loves tahini enough to dedicate an entire cookbook to it.

[Mary F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Tahini and various ways in which you can incorporate it into your diet. I have too often had a jar of Tahini sitting in my refrigerator because I needed a little for a recipe and then didn't know what to do with the rest of it. I found some great recipes for sauces. The granola is fantastic! I've used Tahini in brownies before and was amazed at how good it makes a gluten free brownie.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently some people have a hard time using up tahini? This cookbook is written for someone who isn’t already deeply familiar with MENA flavors, and doesn’t understand the joy of having twelve sauces in their fridge at all times.
I hope it turns a lot of people on to tahini, so that it will be more available for me at my local grocery store.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good recipes but Kindle edition is impossible

The recipes look good, the photography is beautiful, but the formatting makes the Kindle edition very frustrating to use. I hope they fix the Kindle problem

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is proof that tahini can make more than hummus. Excited to try out the Tahini Maple Syrup, Tahini Guac, and the Cinnamon "Babka" French Toast recipes.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yum. I had to order some Soom tahini by page 30!

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t know you could use tahini for so many things.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love tahini as much as I do you’ll want to make everything in this book!