What is taihaku sesame oil? The unroasted "white sesame oil" and how it differs from the usual kind

Sesame oil means something brown and toasty. Plenty of people picture it that way: the scent that rises off a Chinese stir-fry, or off the swirl poured in at the end.

And yet there is a sesame oil that is nearly clear, with only a faint scent. Called "taihaku" (太白), this oil quietly upends what we assume sesame oil to be.

Roasted or not: the process decides the taste

There is only one difference between ordinary sesame oil and taihaku sesame oil, and it is whether the seeds are roasted.

Ordinary sesame oil is pressed after the seeds are roasted. Heat reaches the sesame in that step, and the brown color and that toasty scent come from it. Taihaku sesame oil, by contrast, is pressed from raw seeds with no roasting. Leaving out the roasting that creates the toastiness carries not the aroma but the depth and savoriness of sesame into the oil. That is why the color is pale and the scent stays restrained.

The work it can do by staying out of the way

An oil with little scent can look like it is missing something. But that is exactly where taihaku has its role.

Because the scent is quiet, it does not get in the way of the ingredients. In tempura the batter does not turn heavy; in Japanese cooking you can add depth without erasing the dashi or the flavor of the ingredients. Used in place of butter in sweets, it leaves the taste of the batter intact and gives a moist texture. Not asserting itself is what lets it go anywhere. It is a supporting player that draws out what an ingredient already has.

Taihaku from Kuki Sangyo: Yokkaichi, 140 years on sesame alone

The maker most associated with this oil is Kuki Sangyo in Yokkaichi (四日市), Mie Prefecture, founded in 1886.

It grew up in a port town that was a collecting point for sesame, and has stayed with sesame alone for close to 140 years. Its flagship "Taihaku Junsei Goma Abura" (太白純正胡麻油) is known for the pale color and quiet scent that only raw pressing gives, and it is a bottle that Japanese cooks and pastry chefs ask for by name.

How to use taihaku sesame oil

• For cooking with heat in general, from tempura to stir-fries
• For Japanese dishes where you want the dashi and the ingredients to come through
• Having little of its own character, as the oil in baby food
• In place of butter for baking, in chiffon cakes and cookies
• In dressings and marinades, where raw use does not spoil the flavor

One bottle covers everything from Japanese cooking to baking. Start with tempura and see how useful a sesame oil that does not speak through its scent can be.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between taihaku sesame oil and ordinary sesame oil?

Ordinary sesame oil is pressed after the seeds are roasted, which gives it a brown color and a toasty scent. Taihaku sesame oil is pressed from raw seeds with no roasting, so the color is nearly clear and the scent is very restrained. Instead of toastiness, what moves into the oil is the depth and savoriness of the sesame.

What dishes suit taihaku sesame oil?

Because it does not get in the way of the ingredients, it suits cooking with heat in general, such as tempura and stir-fries, and Japanese dishes built on the taste of the ingredients themselves. Having little of its own character, it is also used as the oil in baby food, and it is popular for baking in place of butter, in chiffon cakes and cookies.

Can taihaku sesame oil be used raw, as it is?

Yes. The scent is quiet, so it will not spoil the flavor of the ingredients in dressings, marinades and other raw uses. If you want to add the toastiness of roasted sesame oil, one approach is to finish the dish with a small amount of the roasted kind.