Gomasio
Also known as gomashio, goma shio, sesame salt
Seasoned salt
Quick answer
Toasted sesame seeds lightly crushed with salt. In Japan it is traditionally black sesame sprinkled over sekihan, the red-bean rice of celebrations; the sesame-heavy version sold in Western health-food shops comes from the macrobiotic movement and uses far less salt.
In essentially every version: Toasted sesame seeds, Salt.
2 distinct versions are set out below. None of them is presented as the correct one, because there isn’t one.
What goes in it
The defining core first, then the versions, with what each ingredient is there to do.
| Ingredient | Role | How essential |
|---|---|---|
| Sesame seedBlack sesame in the Japanese tradition for sekihan; brown or white in most other uses. | base | defining |
| Salt | salt | defining |
Two things vary: the colour of the sesame and, much more consequentially, the ratio of sesame to salt. Japanese goma shio for sekihan is visibly salty; macrobiotic gomasio uses something like fifteen to twenty parts of sesame to one of salt. The two are not interchangeable spoon for spoon.
The versions
Each attributed, with how firm its proportions are stated plainly.
Japanese goma shio for sekihan
Regional traditionJapanese household practice · proportions representative · medium confidence
Black sesame toasted and mixed with roasted salt, sprinkled over red-bean rice. Proportions are representative, by volume.
| Ingredient | Parts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Toasted black sesame | 3–5 | 80% |
| Salt | 1 | 20% |
Macrobiotic gomasio
Common todayThe macrobiotic diet movement and Western health-food retail · proportions representative · medium confidence
Brown or unhulled sesame toasted and ground in a suribachi with a small amount of sea salt until about half the seeds are crushed.
| Ingredient | Parts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Toasted sesame seeds | 15–20 | 95% |
| Salt | 1 | 5% |
SpiceHQ records this ratio as a practice, not as a health recommendation.
Using it
Sprinkled at the table, never cooked. Toasting the sesame just before crushing is what gives it flavour, so small, fresh batches are the norm.
Nutty and toasty with a clean saltiness; black sesame adds a slightly bitter, deeper note. Crushing part of the seeds releases their oil and makes the flavour much fuller than whole toasted sesame.
None.
- Sekihan (red-bean rice)
- Plain rice and onigiri
- Steamed vegetables
- Salads and grain bowls
Scaling: Scale by the sesame and add salt to the ratio of the version you want; the two versions differ by a factor of five or more in salt.
What to use it on
Rice
ClassicBlack goma shio sprinkled on sekihan, and gomasio on plain rice and onigiri, is its defining use. The toasted sesame gives plain rice a nutty richness and the salt seasons it.
How: Sekihan; Onigiri
Storage
Good for: 1–3 months (typically 2 months)
Cool, dark, dry and closed; in the fridge in a warm kitchen.
Rancid gomasio tastes bad and is best discarded, but it is a quality failure rather than a food-safety one.
Allergens and safety
- Sesame seeds — a declarable allergen in the EU and US
Sesame seeds must be declared in both the EU and the United States. This is a statement about labelling law rather than about whether allergy occurs — allergic reactions to spices are documented and are not a labelling category — and it is the part of the answer that differs by where the food is sold.
Culture and origin
Japan, where goma shio ("sesame salt") is the table seasoning for sekihan and for plain rice and onigiri. The Western form spread through the macrobiotic diet movement in the twentieth century, which promoted it as a lower-salt seasoning with a much higher proportion of sesame.
Japan
Black goma shio on sekihan is part of the food of celebrations — births, birthdays, coming-of-age and festival days — where the red-bean rice itself is the festive dish.
The macrobiotic movement
Adopted as a characteristic table seasoning of macrobiotic cooking in Europe and North America, where it was promoted as a way to use less salt. SpiceHQ records the practice and makes no claim about its health effects.