East Asian white sesame pastes are fairly similar to tahini, but they tend to be deeply roasted with a more assertive nuttiness. It’s certainly possible to swap one for the other in recipes, although the flavor will be slightly different. White sesame’s butteriness holds up especially well against the spicy and acidic notes in Asian cuisines, and can be used as a dressing for noodles, leafy greens, tofu, and more.
Black sesame paste, made from unhulled black seeds, is kind of like tahini’s intense (but lovable) goth cousin. Although it can be found in a few savory Asian dishes (such as inky kurogoma ramen), its distinct, rich earthiness really excels in desserts. Sweet black sesame porridge and black sesame filled dumplings showcase its straight up flavor, while black sesame custards and ice cream provide the sort of creamy base that allows it to stun and delight.
It’s no secret that tahini has a sweet side, not just as an ingredient in sesame halvah, but also in quite a few regional pastries. There’s the Armenian tahinov hatz, a sort of flat pastry disc rolled with tahini, and tahinopita, a dairy-free Cypriot Lenten cake, to name a couple. Tahini mixed with honey or fruit molasses is popular as a breakfast or dessert item in many parts of the Middle East, in a sort of variation on peanut butter and jelly.
