What it means
کنجد (konjed) is the Persian word for sesame, the small oily seed used across Iranian cooking and baking. The word descends from Middle Persian kunjid, making it a native Iranian term, while سمسم (simsim) is the Arabic equivalent. Dehkhoda records کنجد as the Persian name of sesame. Sesame seeds appear as both a whole seed and pressed into روغن کنجد (rowghan-e konjed), sesame oil. A close companion in Persian kitchens is ارده (ardeh), the Persian word for sesame paste or tahini, itself widely used in sweets and savory dips.
How to use it
- نون کنجدی میخوای؟ (nun-e konjedi mikhai?) “Do you want sesame bread?”
- روغن کنجد برای سالاد خوبه. (rowghan-e konjed baraye salad khube.) “Sesame oil is good for salad.”
- کنجد روی شیرینیها ریختم. (konjed ru-ye shirini-ha rikhtam.) “I sprinkled sesame on the sweets.”
- کنجد پر از کلسیمه. (konjed por az kalsiyme.) “Sesame is full of calcium.”
Cultural note
Sesame has been cultivated in the Iranian plateau for thousands of years and remains a constant in Persian baking. The classic flatbread نان بربری (nan-e barbari) is finished with a glaze and a generous layer of کنجد across its surface before baking. Sesame paste, ارده (ardeh), is eaten with date syrup (شیره خرما, shire-ye khorma) as a traditional breakfast in many households. Beyond the kitchen, کنجد appears in the famous phrase کنجد، کنجد، در را باز کن, the Persian version of Ali Baba’s “open sesame,” which shows how deeply the word is embedded in Persian storytelling.