# Tahini: Commercial Product History

Canonical: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/tahini
Market: United States
Coverage: 3 product families; 13 confirmed observations; 2013-04-25 to 2026-08-29.

## Historical identity
Tahini is the sesame paste of Levantine, Mediterranean, and wider West Asian cooking, sitting on a much older oilseed history. The Sesame history article follows domestication, tahini, oil, and benne; this guide compares current U.S. jars.

## Current product snapshot
- Soom Foods Premium Tahini: Roasted sesame paste; 16 oz jar; observed price $22.50 for 16 oz; observed 2026-08-29.
- Al Arz Tahini Sesame Seed Paste: Fine hulled sesame paste; 16 oz / about 454 g jar; observed price $8.99 for 16 oz / about 454 g; observed 2026-08-29.
- Mighty Sesame Co. Whole Seed Squeezable Tahini: Whole-seed tahini in a 10.9 oz squeeze bottle; observed price $5.98 for 10.9 oz; observed 2026-08-29.

## Confirmed timeline
- 2013-04-25: Soom received its first commercial tahini import. Soom dates its first pallet of tahini arriving in Philadelphia to April 25, 2013, before its first restaurant sale in May.
- 2026-08-29: Current U.S. product observations compiled from the linked product and seller evidence.

## Method and limits
No missing year is treated as evidence that a price, package, formula, owner, origin claim, or availability stayed unchanged. External source material remains with its rights holder; this record publishes source metadata, links, and checksums.

## Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Sesame. https://www.britannica.com/plant/sesame-plant (2024; captured 2026-08-29).
- Gleiberman's Gourmet. Al Arz Tahini 16 oz. https://gleibermans.com/product/al-arz-tahini/ (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- heb.com. Mighty Sesame Co. Whole Seed Squeezable Tahini. https://www.heb.com/product-detail/mighty-sesame-co-whole-seed-squeezable-tahini/7468002 (2026-08-29; captured 2026-08-29).
- mightysesameco.com. Mighty Sesame Co. Whole Seed Squeezable Tahini. https://mightysesameco.com/product/whole-seed-tahini-squeeze-bottle/ (2026-08-29; captured 2026-08-29).
- Soom Foods. 16 oz Premium Tahini. https://soomfoods.com/products/soom-16oz-premium-tahini (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- Soom Foods. Soom's 10th Birthday. https://soomfoods.com/blogs/blog-posts/sooms-10th-birthday (2013-04-25; captured 2026-08-29).
- Soom Foods. Tahini collection. https://soomfoods.com/collections/tahini (2026; captured 2026-08-29).
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sesame as a Major Food Allergen. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies (2023; captured 2026-08-29).

Public JSON: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/tahini/data.json
Public CSV: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food-evolution/tahini/data.csv
Buying guide: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/buying-guides/tahini
Full food history: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food/sesame