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I HATE tahini! Am I alone?

valgal123valgal123 Raw Newbie

I think its incredibly bitter, but I still bought $7 worth today to give it another go in some recipes. I don't think I have every used it in any recipes. Does it taste bitter in like salad dressings?

George

Comments

  • susan121susan121 Raw Newbie

    Noooooo, I love tahini so much I'd marry it! What brands have you tried?

    Georgechickychickita
  • joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

    susan, i'm with you on that one!!! i'm obsessed with it. the first time i tried it alone, it was disgusting to me, but after mixing it in with some dressing and in hummus, i can eat it by itself now.

  • I'm the same joannabanana. For months, I used raw tahini in recipes (like the zuchini hummus) and I always had to make sure that there wasn't too much tahini flavour. I too found it really bitter, and if I got a bit on my finger, I would wash it off instead of licking it.

    LOL, now I can't get enough. If I am making something I have to be careful that I don't end up eating tons of tahini by itself.

    Valgal, I would definitely try it in recipes as it gives a lovely flavour and creaminess, and in time you may come to love it (no worries if you don't though).

    Have fun making tahini recipes =)

  • The only way ive ever used tahini is in salad dressing

    I mix justa little with olive oil, green onion, red onion, pepper, and soaked sunflower seeds.

    De-LISH

    :D

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    I am not a big sesame fan, so I couldn't eat tahini alone. However, in recipes, a teaspoon or two at a time, it adds a lot of depth.

  • mdcmdc

    I'm with you, valgal123. Didn't like it before I was eating raw & don't like it now. Ditto sesame oil. I use macadamia nut or cashew nut butter if I need an oily butter. Or a little evoo. But no tahini. That's just me, though. When I was expecting my first several decades ago, the smell put me off and I've never gotten over it. Funny how having a baby changes everything forever, eh? :) I figure I'm just leaving more tahini for those that truly like it....

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    For years the only thing I used it for was hummus, regular cooked type. Going raw, I've used it for other things, and I really don't care for it. It was "necessary" for real hummus, but now, ugh...nah, I have no use for it any more. I tried using up what was left of it, while in a chocolate phase (which I also no longer have a use for!) by adding them together with agave (come to think of it, I've stopped buying that, too!). That wasn't too bad! But I think chocolate can cover the taste of almost anything!

  • Yes, you guys are alone!! =D I LOVE tahini. But I have noticed some brands are WAY more bitter than others. I am often lazy and just buy it instead of making it. The brand I have now seems to be the least bitter.

    But it is so good in dips, pates, salad dressings, cookies, carob spirulina balls.....

  • blueyzblueyz Raw Newbie

    You are not alone, while I don't HATE it (like I do cilantro) I don't like it and won't buy it but have had a few raw dishes that included it at potlucks and they were OK. Even with hummus I do not like plain flavors because of the tahini, I usually go with red pepper or my favorite of horseradish(but haven't figured that one out raw yet).

  • joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

    lulushka8, i love halva!! i have never had the cooked version but i made the raw version from this site. it was delicious. i will definitely try the date/tahini snack.

    halva has a very strong sesame flavor so if you hate tahini, it's definitely not a dish to make.

  • daniefondaniefon Raw Newbie

    It makes a delicious milk!

  • I could eat tahini with a spoon until it was gone... so I'm not the one to ask but my friend who doesn't like sesame at all still like goddess dressing which only has it as one ingredient.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    Your not the only one im not fond of tahini at all, i dont mind when using it to make hummus etc but on its own i cant stand it lol.

     

  • I really want to like tahini due to its health benefits and the fact that I see it in so many recipes but it's just too bitter for me. What's the big deal?

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    when its mixed into recipes i dont mind it, but eating it off the spoon no no, same with hemp seed butter.

    The liquid residue that floats around the top of tahini and hemp seed butter makes me sick before i even taste it lol.

    Ive still not tried almond butter yet does this have the horrible liquid once you open the jar?

     

  • swayzeswayze Raw Newbie

    powerlifter, I totally agree. Anything I have to stir to recombine before I can eat it just grosses me out! In my experience, all jarred nut butters have the separation problem.

    Swayze

     

  • i hate tahini too and i've eaten it several times and never got used to it. tried different kinds, etc.

    i don't mind it mixed in really well with hummus so long as you can't really taste the tahini haha... but that's about it. I still have a huge jar chillin' from like last year in my fridge because i can't bring myself to eat it.. (it's probably bad by now, but I forget about things haha)

  • EvaAfricaEvaAfrica Raw Newbie

    I love tahini so much that I had to break an addiction to it when I first became raw! Now it's got its proper place.

    Ayenjay, I prefer tahini by the spoonful all unadulterated too! Glad to say that it can stay with a spoon or two now, not 5 or half the jar!

    Blueyz, I'm with you on the hatred of cilantro. The leaf makes me feel nauseous. I can spot it however small the quantity in any dish....yuck! How does it make you feel?

    It's amazing how our bodies are so individual. There are certain very healthy and popular foods that I cannot digest or stand, i.e. leeks, peppers and potato.

    Hurray for intuitive eating!

  • GeorgeGeorge Raw Newbie

     

     

    I agree with valgal123, I find raw tahini completely unpalatable.  I love tahini and bitter tastes, but I put some raw tahini in some special flapjack and had to throw the whole lot away.  I didn't want to poison the birds either.  When i tried eating it from the jar I couldn't swallow it.

    It tasted like mashed husks or worse and my body was telling me something was wrong. 

    Maybe it was a bad batch? 

    As for the normal tahini, I eat it by the spoonful and usually mix it with honey to make a paste.  It is wonderful in soups, flapjack or anything. I just couldn't believe how radically different raw tahini is,  I was expecting it to be even nicer, such a diappointment

     

    ClaireT
  • ClaireTClaireT Raw Master

    I think it is a bit of an acquired taste. In the beginning, I used to despise it, but now I have grown to appreciate it in a few recipes. I think what you are eating it with really makes a difference. There are a lot of foods that tahini simply does not go well with, but sometimes people get overly enthusiastic and throw it in there anyway. 

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