Sesame Oil: A Keystone Ingredient

If you cook your own food, you’ll know what I’m talking about: that one ingredient. The one that’s always on your shopping list, always in your pantry. There is no substitute, you can’t seem to get away from using it, and without it your kitchen might as well be closed. I call it a keystone ingredient. Think of your keystone ingredient. Is it a spice blend? A particular cheese? Type of nut? For those preparing Somali food it is sesame oil. Found in a variety of traditional plates ranging from bun (a breakfast dish made of coffee bean soaked in sesame oil) to muufo (a corn bread topped with sesame oil), the sesame plant and accompanying products are easily accessible in Somalia and an indispensable part of Somali food identity.

While conducting a recent focus group aimed at better understanding the food related needs within the Greater Toronto Area’s Somali community, I was invited to reflect upon the impact of barriers to keystone ingredient access. The food enthusiasts participating in the conversation identified frustration with the availability and cost of sesame oil in Canada. Although a variety of ethno-cultural fruits and vegetables are widely available, especially in large urban areas, the limiting factor in food preparation for many comes from barriers to sesame oil. This made me wonder – do keystone ingredients also play a keystone role in the proliferation of ethno-cultural food in Ontario? Can methodology be developed for the identification of keystone ingredients within refugee path immigrant communities in order to prioritize them for local production?

The availability of keystone ingredients within each refugee path immigrants’ community, more so than other ethno-cultural foods, is imperative. When keystone ingredients are accessible, kitchens are open!

In case you’re wondering: my keystone ingredient is lemon juice.

Valencia Gaspard, PhD Student - Rural Studies, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph, CANADA