Tahini is of Semitic origin and comes from a colloquial Levantine Arabic pronunciation of ṭaḥīna (طحينة),[5][6] or more accurately ṭaḥīniyya (طحينية), whence also English tahina and Hebrew ṭḥina טחינה.

It is derived from the root ط ح ن Ṭ-Ḥ-N, which as a verb طحن ṭaḥana means "to grind",[7][8] and also produces the word طحين ṭaḥīn, "flour" in some dialects.

The historian Herodotus writes about the cultivation of sesame 3,500 years ago in the region of the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia.

[11] Tahini is mentioned as an ingredient of hummus kasa, a recipe transcribed in an anonymous 13th-century Arabic cookbook, Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada.

[12] In his 14th-century work Kaftor va-Ferach (Hebrew: כפתור ופרח), Ishtori Haparchi wrote that the inhabitants of the Land of Israel in his time consumed Tahini, made by grinding sesame seeds and mixing them with date honey.

[16] Tahini-based sauces are common in Middle Eastern restaurants as a side dish or as a garnish, usually including lemon juice, salt, and garlic, and thinned with water.

It is used to make ḥalvardeh (حلوا ارده), a kind of halva made of tahini, sugar, egg whites, and other ingredients.

In Iraq, tahini is known as rashi (راشي), and is mixed with date syrup (rub) to make a sweet dessert usually eaten with bread.

It is served as a dip with flat bread or pita, a topping for many foods such as falafel, sabich, Jerusalem mixed grill and shawarma, and as an ingredient in various spreads.

It is also served baked in the oven with kufta made of lamb or beef with spices and herbs, or with a whole fish in the coastal areas and the Sea of Galilee.

Red tahina is used in sumagiyya (lamb with chard and sumac) and salads native to the falaḥeen from the surrounding villages, as well as southern Gaza.

[23] In Turkey, tahini (Turkish: tahin) is mixed with pekmez to make tahin-pekmez, which is often served as a breakfast item or after meals as a sweet dip for breads.