People have been left gobsmacked after learning how seasame seeds actually develop, having never given a second thought about where or how they are grown. For many people, it’s important to know where their food comes from – whether it’s knowing the specific farm your milk and meat comes from, or which country your fruit is harvested in.
However, what many don’t seem to know is where and how sesame seeds are grown. Uncovering the true process has blown people’s minds.
It usually takes three to four months for sesame seeds to grow ready for harvest. After this, they’re sorted, packaged and shipped to supermarkets to be used for baking or cooking.
However, it seems people had no clue about the growing and harvesting process of sesame seeds after an informative TikTok video showed the process of the seeds being picked. They can’t get over what actually happens.
In a video, a man known online as “The Lord of the Lettuce” went on to share a video of a peculiar looking plant before revealing what it was.
“Can you guess what these are?” he asked his viewers as a video was showing behind him. The short clip showed a tall succulent-looking plant that was covered in small, green pods.
A pair of hands were then seen using a pair of scissors to cut off one of the pods before carefully peeling it open to reveal several seeds hiding on the inside. “This is how sesame seeds are grown,” the man went on to reveal as the seeds were shown. “Bet you didn’t know that.”
Sesame seeds grow on tall plants, which are sown in warm, sunny, well-drained soil. After the plants flower and form pods, the pods dry and split open, revealing the seeds inside. The seeds are collected by shaking the dry pods.
The collected seeds are then spread out to dry completely to ensure a longer shelf life before being stored in airtight containers.
Sesame plants require warm weather to grow, which is why countries like Myanmar and India are the leading sesame exports in the world. However, you can also grow them yourself in the UK, just by making sure you can provide a long, warm, sunny summer period to achieve maturity.
Sesame plants need temperatures to remain above 10°C (50°F), so it’s best to plant them outdoors after the last spring frost and protect them with a greenhouse or grow them in containers for better heat retention.
Viewers of the TikTok video were quick to share their amazement as many had no idea that this was how sesame seeds were harvested.
“I feel like a useless adult,” one person wrote, while a second viewer said: “I was today years old.”
“This is amazing! Had no idea. The pods look like baby Okras,” a third person said.
Many people also joked that they just thought that sesame seeds were “harvested from burger buns”. “Oh so they don’t grow on burger buns?” one person jokingly asked.