Ancient Egyptian civilisations knew the medicinal values of sesame. Sesame seed was used as a medicine by Egyptians as early as 1500B.C. They also used sesame oil for cooking purposes back then. A drawing on an Egyptian tomb that is more than 4000 years old shows a baker adding sesame seeds to dough. In fact, Egyptians used Sesame Oil in the mixture they prepared to preserve bodies in “Mummies”.
Sesame oil was used in Egypt to illuminate lamps. Ancient Egyptians also loved their fragrances and sesame oil was used as a base to prepare a range of aromatic oils and perfumes.