Benne is what enslaved Gullah-Geechee people called sesame — a direct Wolof word that crossed the Atlantic on the same ships as the people who used it. Cold-pressed benne oil has been in the Lowcountry since before the American Revolution. It is not the dark toasted oil at the grocery store. It is the light, golden oil that your ancestors pressed themselves and poured over grains.
Benne oil is commercially produced in small batches by Gullah-Geechee artisans in South Carolina. Anson Mills in Columbia, SC grows heritage benne seed and produces cold-pressed benne oil — a direct continuity product from the Gullah seed-saving tradition. Black American families in the Lowcountry have access to authentic product; nationwide access via online ordering.
Cold-pressed sesame oil's key medicinal compounds — sesamin and sesamolin — are lignans not present in refined sesame oil. Sesamin has been shown in multiple trials (University of Guelph, Kumamoto University) to suppress NF-kB inflammatory signaling at doses achievable through dietary use. A randomized controlled trial in Hypertension journal (2006) found that replacing other cooking oils with sesame oil reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 8 mmHg in participants with stage 1 hypertension over 60 days. The mechanism involves sesamin's inhibition of the cytochrome P450 enzyme delta-5 desaturase — reducing arachidonic acid production and thereby reducing inflammatory eicosanoid synthesis. Sesamol (a breakdown product of sesamolin) is a potent hepatoprotective agent, reducing liver inflammation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease studies.
Use as a finishing oil or for medium-heat cooking. Smoke point approximately 350°F (cold-pressed) — not for deep frying. Drizzle over cooked collard greens, beans, or grain dishes. In the Gullah tradition, used to fry benne wafers and season okra. Available at most grocery stores — look for cold-pressed, unrefined, light golden oil specifically; dark toasted sesame oil has a different fat and lignan profile.
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