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Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum''. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. Sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, domesticated well over 3000 years ago. Sesame has many species, most being wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. ''Sesame indicum,'' the cultivated type, originated in India.〔 Sesame is highly tolerant to drought-like conditions and grows where other crops may fail.〔〔 Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. With a rich, nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines across the world.〔〔 Like other nuts and foods, it can trigger allergic reactions in some people.〔 The world harvested about 4.8 million metric tonnes of sesame seeds in 2013.〔 The largest producer of sesame seeds in 2013 was Myanmar.〔 The world's largest exporter of sesame seeds was India, and Japan was the largest importer. It is an annual plant growing tall, with opposite leaves long with an entire margin; they are broad lanceolate, to broad, at the base of the plant, narrowing to just broad on the flowering stem. The flowers are yellow, tubular, long, with a four-lobed mouth. The flowers may vary in colour, with some being white, blue, or purple. Sesame fruit is a capsule, normally pubescent, rectangular in section, and typically grooved with a short, triangular beak. The length of the fruit capsule varies from 2 to 8 cm, its width varies between 0.5 and 2 cm, and the number of loculi varies from four to 12. The fruit naturally splits open (dehisces) to release the seeds by splitting along the septa from top to bottom or by means of two apical pores, depending on the varietal cultivar. The degree of dehiscence is of importance in breeding for mechanised harvesting, as is the insertion height of the first capsule. Sesame seeds are small. Their size, form, and colours vary with the thousands of varieties now known. Typically, the seeds are about 3 to 4 mm long by 2 mm wide and 1 mm thick. The seeds are ovate, slightly flattened, and somewhat thinner at the eye of the seed (hilum) than at the opposite end. The weight of the seeds is between 20 and 40 mg.〔 The seed coat (testa) may be smooth or ribbed. Sesame seeds occur in many colours depending on the cultivar. The most traded variety of sesame is off-white coloured. Other common colours are buff, tan, gold, brown, reddish, gray, and black. Sesame seed is sometimes sold with its seed coat removed (decorticated). This is the variety often present on top of buns in developed economies. == Etymology and languages == The word "sesame" is from Latin ''sesamum'' or Greek ''sésamon'' - "seed or fruit of the sesame plant". From the roots above, words with the generalized meaning “oil, liquid fat” are derived. Sesame names vary among numerous languages.〔(【引用サイトリンク】author=Merriam-Webster Dictionary )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sesame」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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