P

arallel brings together the passion of three siblings, Alon, Guy, and Aharon, and modern Middle Eastern Food. The Toronto-based brothers have built themselves a bit of a reputation when it comes to sesame butter. 

Also known as tahini, Parallel's sesame butter recipe is made from milling sesame seeds with a hundred year old basalt stone. Once milled to perfection, this popular provision can be enjoyed on its own or as part of other Middle Eastern dishes such as hummus, baba ganoush and halva. The latter, halva, is a particularly interesting variation of sesame butter. Flaky and rich, it is often enjoyed as a dessert and a topping on yogurt, ice cream, or cookies. 

The secret to their recipe? The seeds. Sourced exclusively from Humera, Ethiopia, the sweet and nutty seeds have one growth cycle a year, and get much of their flavour from the earth and minerals in the soil. After the seeds are imported, they’re soaked, peeled, and steam roasted. From there, they’re put through a slow, cold-pressed cycle until they are ground until smooth. Once this smooth paste is achieved, it’s time to make halva.  
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