GINGELLY OIL, Sesamum Oil.
Match, . . . . ARAD. Nall-ennai, . . . TAU. Mitha til-ka-tel„ HIND. Manehi-nuna, . . TEL. Kurit, Sehuk, . . PERS.
Gingelly Seed, Sesamum Seed.
Sumsum, . . . ARAB. Taila, . . . . SANSK. Ellu, CAN. YeIlu, TAM Til, Jingelly, GG J., HIND. Nuwulu, . . . TEL.
KIDIjed, . . PERS.
Gingelly is the commercial name for the Sesa mum oricntale. Three varieties of the plant aro cultivated in India,—the white-seeded (Saffed-til), the red or 'mai-coloured (Ka and the black variety (Tillee). It is the last which affords the greater proportion of the gin„,oelly oil of commerce. A sort of sesame oil, sometimes called rape, is obtained from the red-seeded variety. Black sesame is sown in March, and ripens in May. Red sesa.me is not sown till June. The black seeded variety (Tillee) affords a larger percentage of oil than the red-seeded kind. It is extensively cultivated in Southern Asia for the oil expressed from the seeds, which are slightly oval, sinall, tasteless, and inodorous. The varieties of seed possess the rsame properties, and in commerce are met with both in a mixed and separate state. Gingelly seed is largely exported to England and France, and the oil is perhaps constuned to a greater extent than any other by the natives of India, and iS second only to cocoanut oil in its importance as an article of commerce. The gre&t disparity of colours observed in this oil is attn. buted to the mode of preparation. The method sometimes adopted is that of throwing the fresh seeds, without any cleansing proces.s, into the
common mill, and expressing in the usual way The oil thus becomes mixed with a largo portion of the colouring matter of the epidermis of the seed, and is neither ao pleasant to the eye, nor so agreeable to the taste, as that obtained by tint repeatedly washing the seeds in cold water, or by boiling them for a short time, until the whole of the reddish-brown colouring matter is removed, and the seeds have become perfectly white. They aro then dried in the sun, and the oil expresaed as usual. This process yields 40 to 44 per cent. of a very pale straw-coloured sweet-smelling oil, an excellent substitute for olive oil. In India the oil is chiefly used in cookery, in anointing the person, for making soap, and for burning in lamps. In England it is chiefly used for the rnanufacture of soap, and for burning in table-lamps, for which it is better suit,ed than cocoanut oil, owing to the lower temperature at which it congeals. In different parts of the Madras Presidency the price of this oil varies from Rs. 1.5 to Rs. 6 per mannd of 25 lbs. Til or gingelly seed exported from India, chiefly to France, and from Bengal and Bombay :— cwt. Rs. Cwt. Re.
1874-75, 1,203,222 72,28,920 1877-78, 1,158,802 84,82,262 1875-76, 1,409,908 78,74,782 1878-79, 1,039,687 79,96,210 1876-77, 1,807,815 86,82,937 1379-80, 1,680,185 1,19,79,042