Black sesame has always been one of my favorite ingredients.
Drinks. Pastries. Snacks. If black sesame is on or in a version of something I’m looking to buy or make, there’s a good chance it will soon be appearing in my kitchen. With its rich, nutty, and slightly bitter profile, it pairs wonderfully with a wide range of flavors, from earthy teas to tart fruits to sweet honey. And while toasting or soaking the seeds is recommended (or required) for many recipes, they’re just as delicious raw.
But what if black sesame were even easier to use, and to eat? That’s where Rooted Fare comes in.
Co-founded by Ashley Xie and Hedy Yu, second-generation Chinese Americans and childhood friends, Rooted Fare is a celebration of heritage and culinary creativity.
It all started in college, when the pair realized how difficult it would be to access the Chinese culture and goods they’d grown up with. As a result, what had once felt like a given became something they actively worked to connect with, particularly through food.
It was this balancing act between two cultures that served as the catalyst for Rooted Fare’s founding. The company itself is a combination of their Chinese and American backgrounds, with black sesame, a staple of many Asian recipes, paired with ingredients like chocolate and coffee. Their first recipe, Black Sesame Crunchy Butter, was even inspired by one of their favorite childhood desserts: sweet tang yuan, or a ground black sesame mixture with lard and brown sugar, encased in a dough made from glutinous rice flour.
More accurately, it was inspired by Ashley’s grandmother, who won tang yuan competitions in China. While making her grandmother’s recipe with her aunts, Ashley wondered how the filling might taste as a spread. Spotting breadcrumbs out of the corner of her eye, she tried adding a bit to the black sesame mix, and loved the balance of crunch and creaminess.
From this original mixture, the award-winning start of their company, Ashley and Hedy have gone on to create a number of fun and innovative recipes. Some, like their Pineapple Cake Cashew Butter and Chinese Almond Cookie Butter, are past limited-time products—in store once, now never again. But their current core four—classic, chocolate, coffee, and toasted coconut—are still on offer, and available to purchase individually or in sets.
It’s the Sesame Lover’s Gift Pack that’s my personal favorite. Alongside their classic recipe, customers receive two other mixes: chocolate and coffee.
The first, chocolate, is flavored with milk powder, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate. While some of the cocoa flavor is hidden behind the nuttiness of the spread, it’s still a noticeable—and delightful—addition. And the second, coffee, is flavored with milk powder, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla flavor oil. It’s the earthiest of the three, reminding me a bit more of tea than coffee, and my favorite to spread on toast.
And there’s plenty more to do with all three mixtures. So far, aside from using them as toppings for various breakfast foods (and eating them straight from the spoon), I’ve included the classic butter in a matcha grilled rice cake and a blackberry clafoutis. Both turned out delicious, and will be the first of many culinary adventures. But while I had a few ideas ready to go, not everyone will—and Rooted Fare is ready to help. Their website includes 15 pages of recipes, giving you everything you need to make their black sesame butters a new mealtime staple.
Crunchy. Nutty. Subtly sweet. Black sesame has never been tastier, more accessible, or more usable. So if sesame is one of your favorite flavors, just like it is mine, visit Rooted Fare’s website HERE today, and get ready to make it your new culinary obsession.
