What is the Difference Between Olive Oil and Sesame Oil

The main difference between sesame oil and olive oil lies in their flavor. Sesame oil has an earthy and nutty flavor, while olive oil has a buttery and bitter flavor. Due to this difference in flavor, they also have different culinary applications.

Olive oil is extracted from olive fruits, while sesame oil is extracted from sesame seeds. Both these oils are healthy oil options available in the local market, and many people use these two oil options in place of the other.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Olive Oil 
     – Definition, Features, Uses
2. What is Sesame Oil
     – Definition, Features, Uses
3. Similarities Between Olive Oil and Sesame Oil
     – Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Olive Oil and Sesame Oil
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Olive Oil, Sesame Oil

Difference Between Olive Oil and Sesame Oil - Comparison Summary

What is Olive Oil

Olive oil is the oil extracted from olive fruit harvested from olive trees. Olive oil is rich in its monounsaturated oleic acid content. It is a belief that this is beneficial to human health in many ways. Furthermore, olive oil contains many antioxidants, which have the power to lower the risk of chronic diseases, fight against inflammation, and secure blood cholesterol from oxidation.

Compare Olive Oil and Sesame Oil - What's the difference?

When cooking, we frequently use olive oil as a salad dressing. It is possible to make delicious dressing sundried tomatoes and homemade pesto with olive oil. In addition, people often use olive oil to baste meat before putting it on the barbecue grill and to roast vegetables and potatoes. We can also use olive oil to make cakes, cookies, and spreads as an alternative to butter.

What is Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is extracted either from raw sesame seeds, which are lighter in color and have a delicate flavor profile or from toasted sesame seed varieties, which have a darker color and a richer flavor profile. We can use both these types of sesame oil for varying culinary applications in varying culinary cultures. However, people most frequently use sesame oil to sauté vegetables and meat items. Furthermore, sesame oil is added to marinades and dressings.

Olive Oil vs Sesame Oil

Just like olive oil, sesame oil also comes with a load of health benefits, such as fighting against inflammation, providing heart-healthy fats, and shielding skin against harmful sun damage. Most significantly, sesame oil is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are polyunsaturated fats that support to help prevent cancer and heart diseases.

Similarities Between Olive Oil and Sesame Oil

  • The primary source of both olive oil and sesame oil are natural plant material.
  • Both olive oil and sesame oil have culinary applications.
  • They are both packed with nutrients that are essential to fight chronic diseases.

Difference Between Olive Oil and Sesame Oil

Definition

Olive oil is the oil extracted from olive fruits, while sesame oil is the oil extracted from sesame seeds.

Flavor Profile

Sesame oil has an earthy and nutty flavor, while olive oil has a buttery and bitter flavor.

Culinary Application

Although we use olive oil with lots of baked food items as an alternative for butter, it is not possible to mix sesame in many baking recipes due to its stronger flavor. If you are into frying recipes, keep in your mind that although it is possible to deep fry using olive oil, it is not wise to deep fry only with sesame oil. However, it is possible to blend sesame oil with other oil variations.

Conclusion

The main difference between olive oil and sesame oil is that sesame oil has an earthy and nutty flavor, while olive oil has a buttery and bitter flavor. Due to this difference in flavor, they also have different culinary applications.

Reference:

1. Leech, Joe. “11 Proven Benefits of Olive Oil.” Healthline, Healthline Media.
2. “Sesame Oil: Is It Good for You? Pros, Cons, Nutrition, and More.” WebMD.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Olive-oil-olives-food-oil-natural” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “ILUAMUTHU SESAME OIL” By ILUAMUTHU – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

About the Author: Anuradha

Anuradha has a BA degree in English, French, and Translation studies. She is currently reading for a Master's degree in Teaching English Literature in a Second Language Context. Her areas of interests include Arts and Literature, Language and Education, Nature and Animals, Cultures and Civilizations, Food, and Fashion.

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