Tahini is simply a paste made from ground sesame seeds. There are several types out there however, ranging in colour, texture, flavour and of course processing techniques. The traditional Middle Eastern versions tend to be on the lighter and more liquid side of the scale, where I’ve noticed that “western” versions are darker, thicker and taste richer. The reason for this is usually because traditional tahini is made from hulled sesame seeds, meaning that the outer bran has been removed. Certain types of tahini then, cannot be considered a whole food because part of the original food is missing. When the bran is removed from the sesame seed much like when the bran is removed from a wholegrain, a great deal of the nutrition, and the cofactors needed for complete digestion, are lost. In the case of sesame seeds, we’re talking fiber, calcium, zinc, iron, and phosphorus taking a serious hit, and don’t we want those things? Indeed we do.