Thin, crispy sesame seed cookies from the Gullah Geechee coast. Benne seeds were brought from West Africa by enslaved people who knew sesame as food, medicine, and good-luck seed — the most direct West African food survival in American baking.
Benne wafers are sold at every traditional Charleston gift shop and made in home kitchens across the Gullah Geechee coast from Georgetown, SC to St. Simons Island, GA. They represent one of the clearest documented cases of an enslaved people preserving an African food through sheer determination to keep the seed alive.
Sesame seeds — benne — are among the highest plant sources of calcium by weight, exceeding dairy per gram. Sesamin and sesamol are lignans with documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The fat profile is predominantly monounsaturated, similar to olive oil. Benne wafers are a dessert, so butter and sugar are present, but the sesame itself is providing genuine nutrition through the cookie.
Classic Gullah benne wafer: toast benne seeds in a dry skillet until golden and fragrant (essential — don't skip this step). Cream butter and brown sugar; add egg, vanilla, flour, salt, and the toasted seeds. Drop by half-teaspoon onto a greased baking sheet — they spread significantly. Bake at 325°F for 10-12 minutes until thin and golden. They crisp as they cool. Store in an airtight tin.
Free, no account needed to ask.