It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods.

The word "sesame" is from Latin sesamum and Greek σήσαμον: sēsamon; which in turn are derived from ancient Semitic languages such as Akkadian šamaššamu.

[13][14] The archaeobotanist Dorian Q. Fuller states that trading of sesame between Mesopotamia and the Indian subcontinent occurred by 2000 BC.

[15] It is possible that the Indus Valley civilization exported sesame oil to Mesopotamia, where it was known as ilu in Sumerian and ellu in Akkadian, similar to the Dravidian languages Kannada and Malayalam eḷḷu, Tamil eḷ.

[17] Egyptians called it sesemt, and it is included in the list of medicinal drugs in the scrolls of the c. 1550 BC Ebers Papyrus.

It can be grown by subsistence farmers at the edge of deserts, earning it the name of survivor crop from the sesame breeder Derald Ray Langham.

While the crop survives drought and the presence of excess water, the yields are significantly lower in either condition.

Rainfall late in the season prolongs growth and increases loss to dehiscence, when the seedpod shatters, scattering the seed.

The time of this bursting, or "dehiscence", tends to vary, so farmers cut plants by hand and place them together in an upright position to continue ripening until all the capsules have opened.

The 1943 discovery of an indehiscent mutant (analogous to nonshattering in cereals) led breeders to try to create a high-yield variety that does not drop its seeds.

[27] In 2022, world production of sesame seeds was 6.7 million tonnes, led by Sudan, India, and Myanmar, which together accounted for 41% of the total (table).

[28] The white and other lighter-colored sesame seeds are common in Europe, the Americas, West Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.

[29] In the United States most sesame is raised by farmers under contract to Sesaco, which also supplies proprietary seed.

[33][34] Prices depend on perceived quality, based on factors such as the seed's appearance, freedom from impurities, oil content of at least 40%, and sorting by size and colour.

[41] Sesame oil studies reported a reduction of oxidative stress markers and lipid peroxidation.

[45] Prevalence of sesame allergy is on the order of 0.1–0.2%, but higher in countries in the Middle East and Asia where consumption is more common as part of traditional diets.

[52][53] After detection in Belgium, recalls for dozens of products and stores were issued across the European Union, totaling some 50 countries.

Sesame seed cookies called Benne wafers, both sweet and savory, are popular in places such as Charleston, South Carolina.

[56] Sesame seeds, also called benne, were brought into 17th-century colonial America by enslaved West Africans.

[58] After arriving in North America, the plant was grown by slaves as a subsistence staple to supplement their weekly rations.

[59] In Caribbean cuisine, sugar and white sesame seeds are combined into a bar resembling peanut brittle and sold in stores and street corners, like Bahamian Benny cakes.

[62] Ground black sesame and rice form zhimahu, a Chinese dessert and breakfast dish.

Upon ripening, sesame pods split, releasing a pop and possibly indicating the origin of this phrase.