Tahini, an ancient food from the middle east, contributes a strong, aromatic flavor that complements beans, greens, and breads. These hulled, toasted sesame seeds, pounded into an oily paste, constitute a primary ingredient for chickpea hummus, but extend their flavor to other foods as well.

By using only tahini, lime juice, salt, and a little water, you can create your own Sesame Sour Creme. From this basic recipe, make a variety of distinctive dressings and dips with the addition of various herbs and spices.

Nut and seed butters rank high as natural fats. They are natural because with only toasting and grinding, the nuts or seeds become tasty butters. No additional oil, known as free fat, is added. If there is oil at the top of a new jar of nut or seed butter, it's settled out of the product, but can be easily reincorporated with a knife by stirring slowly. Should this oil be poured off, the nut or seed butter would be dry and not easily spread on such foods as bread, muffins, pancakes, and waffles.

Because tahini is one of these high fat plant foods, the addition of an acid such as lemon juice or lime juice can form an emulsion. An emulsion is a suspension of fat and water-soluble particles in a stable, soft, whipped formation useful for dressing and topping other foods.

The whipping process can be accomplished in a limited way with only a fork for the kitchen tool. The important technique to keep in mind is to use more sesame seed butter than lime juice and to whip the lime juice into the seed butter in increments. When doing this with a processor, the emulsification may become so thick that a little addition of water becomes necessary. Water is used instead of more lime juice in order for the product to remain at the desired balance of savory and sour.

If the case of adding a spice such as fresh grated ginger, for flavor, a small amount of natural sweetener like coconut syrup or rice syrup may be the finishing touch to balance flavors.

Sesame sour crème becomes a basic spread through which multiple flavors may be featured by addding herbs, roasted vegetables, or spices.