Although I grew up in Israel and was familiar with tahini, I never forgot the first time I ate tahini as a dip and not as the sauce that moistens your falafel in pita (and makes it easier to swallow). It was in 1997 in a party that Tamara, my semi-sister, threw in her apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She made it thick and creamy. It was a revelation to me because I didn’t know that you can make it as liquid or stiff as you like. Now I eat it with almost everything; omelets, frittatas, shakshuka, falafel, sweet potato boats, roasted cabbage, sweet potatoes or cauliflower. I even mix it with vermicelli noodles or drizzle it over ratatouille.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, tahini is a nutritious Middle Eastern condiment made with tahini butter, (ground sesame seeds), lemon juice and water.

The secret to a good tahini is the tahini butter. Therefore you should always buy Middle Eastern or Ethiopian brands. Because they still stone grind the sesame seeds as opposed to processing them in a food processor. The old technique gives the tahini butter a natural salty flavor and runny texture. You should make sure that it says on the packaging stone-ground. In Los Angeles I buy it in the Middle Eastern, Persian or Armenian supermarkets or on roasted veggies or in a falafel sandwich.