Is tahini supposed to taste like this?

[JellyBabied]

I just tried plain tahini for the first time. It was utterly disgusting and incredibly bitter. I've been told that it's nice on toast but it was horrible. It's Sainsbury's brand, perhaps it's the brand? I expected it to be a little bitter and I enjoy some bitter things like coffee and marmalade but this wasn't even edible.

Is tahini always like this? I love hummus and I love anything with sesame seeds but I can't believe how bad this was.

Tahini is awful, I only use it in recipes now such as veggie bean burgers etc.

Yes it does take a bit of getting used to! The bitterness is normal, some are worse than others. I definitely couldn’t eat it on toast, but in recipes it is great.

It's not nice as it is, in my opinion. I'm Cypriot, we use it to make a delicious dip, with garlic, lemon and olive oil, and even more delicious pastries called tahinopittes. On its own, it's like licking sandpaper

So it isn't just me. I have a recipe for a pasta dish that uses it. I'm not sure that I want to make it now as I'm worried it'll make the whole thing taste terrible.

I'm so disappointed as I can't get enough of sesame seeds and I love seeds and nut butters so I thought that I'd love it but it really is inedible.

I wouldn’t want to eat it on its own, but it provides a delicious earthy base note in home made hummus.

I wouldn’t eat it on its own
I put it in falafel mixture though. Had no idea it was suitable on toast, doesn’t sound like it would be nice at all!

Tahini needs honey! I usually add two or three spoonfuls of honey to the jar and mix it all up. It’s delicious on toast and rice cakes this way and tastes like peanut butter. You can also add a spoon of cocoa powder and extra honey to make a healthy Nutella

Its a bit thick and claggy ime,i just use it to make humous

Thank you all. I'll try the honey first and keep the rest for hummus.

It’s DISGUSTING by itself. It’s an ingredient IMO rather than a food in its own right. It makes amazing chocolate chip cookies.

I like it on toast with Marmite. Lovely.

I LUFFS plain tahini. But it's so filling I can't eat a lot. Probably an acquired taste.

It even makes humous taste bad if you use too much. I don't buy it any more.

I've always hated the taste.
I remember as a tiny vegetarian I saved up pocket money for weird things from my local health food shop and it was the biggest disappointment.

I notice the taste of it more than most people do in eg hummus or pastries.