Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Kuki Taihaku Pure Sesame Oil (九鬼 太白純正胡麻油)
The story behind it
Sesame oil is brown and toasty. Taihaku breaks that assumption: it is nearly clear, and the aroma is barely there.
Kuki Sangyo was founded in 1886 in Yokkaichi, the port town that served as a collection point for sesame, and it has worked with nothing but sesame for close to 140 years. Taihaku pure sesame oil is pressed from raw, unroasted seed. Skipping the roasting step that creates toastiness means what transfers into the oil is not sesame aroma but body and savor.
It adds substance without getting in the ingredients' way, and that property has made it the oil Japanese chefs and pastry makers ask for. Plenty of people use it in baking in place of butter.
How to use it
For tempura, stir-frying, and cooking with heat generally. Good for Japanese dishes where you want the ingredients to lead, and for baby food. It is also popular in baking, in chiffon cakes and cookies, as a butter substitute.