History
Sesame was cultivated during the Indus valley civilization and was the main oil crop. It was probably exported to Mesopotamia around 2500 BC and was known in Akkadian and Sumerian as 'ellu'. Sesame seeds were one of the first crops processed for oil as well as one of the earliest condiments. In fact, the word enne/enna/ennai that means oil in many Dravidian languages including Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil has its roots in the Dravidian words eL (ಎಳ್/ಎಳ್ಳು, எள்ளு) and nei (ನೆಯ್, நெய்), which mean sesame and ghee respectively.
The Hindi word for oil (Tel (तेल)) is also derived from sesame oil (from Sanskrit Taila (तैल), which means obtained from Tila (तिल) Sesame).
Prior to 600 BC, the Assyrians used sesame oil as a food, salve, and medication, primarily by the rich, as the difficulty of obtaining it made it expensive. Hindus used it in votive lamps and considered the oil sacred.
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