Sesame (Til) and Traditional Oil Pressing in Hingoli

Hingoli district's kharif agriculture includes sesame (Sesamum indicum, called teel or til in Marathi), grown on light soils in dryland areas. Sesame is sown in June-July on the margins of cotton and soybean fields and harvested in September-October. Traditionally, sesame oil was extracted in wooden press (ghani) operated by bullock power, producing cold-pressed oil with full flavour and high sesamin content. Til laddoo, made from sesame seeds and jaggery, is the obligatory sweet at Makar Sankranti festival: it is distributed to neighbours with the greeting 'til-gul ghya, goad goad bola' (take til-gul, speak sweet words). Sesame paste (tahini) is not a traditional local use but is emerging as a health food product. Black sesame varieties, prized in traditional medicine for their higher antioxidant content, are grown in a few farms in Hingoli district as heritage crop varieties.