Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Yokohama Junsei Kuro Goma Abura, Pure Black Sesame Oil (横濱純正黒胡麻油)
The story behind it
Iwai no Gomaabura was founded in 1857 and has been pressing sesame in Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, since 1893. Cooks in the nearby Yokohama Chinatown have used its oil for generations.
Yokohama Junsei Kuro Goma Abura is a pure oil pressed from selected black sesame and nothing else. Against the more common white sesame oil, it is deeper and richer, with a clean finish. The label carries the view of Yokohama seen from the plant, and the product was created to coincide with the city's port opening festival.
If the same maker's taihaku sesame oil is the oil that stays out of the way, this one is the oil that draws the outline of a dish with aroma and richness.
How to use it
Circle it over a dish at the end to bring up the aroma. Use it in namul and dressed vegetables, or a few drops in ramen or miso soup. In a dressing it adds richness.