Tahini is used to market Israeli culture as a native culture of the Middle East. Tahini is a paste made from ground hulled sesame seeds and is used in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine. To make tahini sesame seeds are soaked in water and then crushed to separate the bran from the kernels. The crushed seeds are soaked in salt water, causing the bran to sink. The floating kernels are skimmed off the surface, toasted, and ground to produce an oily paste.