Short answer: sesame oil, also called gingelly oil, nallennai in Tamil and til ka tel in Hindi, is one of the oldest cooking oils in India. Wood-pressed sesame oil is made by crushing raw sesame seeds slowly in a wooden chekku, so it keeps a golden colour and a rich, nutty aroma. It is ideal for tadka, podi, pickles and South Indian cooking. At Vedic Taila we press it below 35°C, unfiltered and with no preservatives.
Why sesame oil is so special in India
Sesame is one of the oldest oilseeds people have grown. The old Sanskrit word for oil, taila, comes from tila, sesame. For a long time, "oil" in an Indian home simply meant sesame oil.
In Tamil it is called nallennai, literally "good oil". That name tells you how much families valued it. It went into everyday cooking, festival sweets, pickles, the evening lamp and the weekly oil bath.
The many names of sesame oil
- Gingelly oil: the common English name in South India.
- Nallennai: Tamil, "good oil".
- Ellenne: Kannada.
- Nuvvula nune: Telugu.
- Til ka tel: Hindi.
One thing to know: the dark, strongly roasted sesame oil used in Chinese and Korean cooking is different. It is made from toasted seeds and used in drops for flavour. Traditional Indian gingelly oil is pressed from raw seeds and used as a cooking oil.
How wood-pressed sesame oil is made
At our mill in Chandapura, Bangalore, the process is simple and slow:
- Clean, mature sesame seeds go into a wooden chekku.
- A wooden pestle turns slowly inside a wooden mortar, crushing the seeds a little at a time.
- The oil separates from the seed cake (pinnaku) naturally. Because the press is slow and made of wood, the oil stays below 35°C.
- The oil rests and settles, and we bottle it without filtering or adding anything.
Refined sesame oil, by contrast, is usually extracted with heat and solvents, then bleached and deodorised. It ends up pale and almost smell-free. If your sesame oil smells of nothing, it has probably been refined.
How to cook with sesame oil
Tadka
Heat a spoon of sesame oil, add mustard seeds, let them splutter, then add urad dal, curry leaves and a pinch of hing. Pour it over sambar, rasam, dal or curd rice. The aroma is the whole point.
Podi and idli
Mix gunpowder podi with a generous spoon of sesame oil and serve with hot idli or dosa. It is one of the simplest and best-loved breakfasts in South India.
Pickles
Traditional South Indian pickles such as avakaya, lemon and gongura use sesame oil. Its strong flavour suits the spice and sourness, and families have trusted it for making pickles for generations.
Sweets
Sesame and jaggery go together in festival sweets like ellu urundai and ellu bella for Sankranti. Cooking the festival meal in sesame oil completes the picture.
Everyday cooking
Use it for poriyal, kuzhambu, vathal and vegetable stir-fries. Many families keep sesame oil and groundnut oil at home and use them by turn.
Sesame oil beyond the kitchen
In many South Indian homes, Saturday meant an oil bath: warm sesame oil massaged into the hair and body, followed by a hot-water bath with shikakai. Sesame oil was also the traditional oil for lighting lamps, especially during Deepavali and Karthigai. These are family customs passed down over generations, and many homes still keep them.
How to recognise real wood-pressed sesame oil
- Smell: it should smell clearly of sesame, nutty and warm.
- Colour: golden to light amber, not pale and watery.
- Clarity: unfiltered oil may have a little natural sediment at the bottom. That is fine particles of the seed, not a fault.
- Ask how it is made: "cold-pressed" can also mean a fast steel machine. Wood-pressed means a wooden chekku.
How to store sesame oil
Keep the bottle tightly closed, away from sunlight and the heat of the stove. Use a clean, dry spoon. Since our oil has no preservatives, a cool, dark shelf keeps it fresh longer.
Frequently asked questions
Is gingelly oil the same as sesame oil?
Yes. Gingelly is the common South Indian English name for oil pressed from sesame seeds.
Can I use sesame oil for daily cooking?
Yes. In much of South India it has been the everyday cooking oil for generations. Many families alternate it with groundnut or coconut oil depending on the dish.
Why does my sesame oil have sediment?
Because it is unfiltered. We let the oil settle naturally instead of stripping it, so a little seed sediment may remain. It is harmless.
Can I watch sesame oil being pressed?
Yes. Our mill in Chandapura, Bangalore offers live crushing. Message us to plan a visit.
Try our wood-pressed sesame (gingelly) oil, pressed below 35°C, unfiltered and with no preservatives. Free delivery in Bangalore on orders of 5 litres and above; other states free on ₹3,500 and above. Healthy living begins in the kitchen.