Over here it's sold in health food shops.
But in jars around 8 oz. I haven't bought any for a while but have never seen it in a supermarket.

SharonCb

I bought it at the grocery store - not remembering how much it cost - but at the time, it didn't seem to be a problem. I felt it was a whole lot CHEAPER to make my own than buy the little tubs of ready made (Athenos). Now, though, it is marketed in larger containers from many sources- so I haven't made any in a long long time.

Supermarket - $5.49 for a 15oz tub. I've never made hummus, but a recipe I'm looking at calls for 1/4 tahini for a two cup yield, so at least the tahini itself wouldn't seem like a real cost issue for me.

I make my own. The link below has instructions similar to what I use. -Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Made Tahini

I remember the same thing happening to me where the tahini was super high in price (Stop&Shop NY) yet I only wanted to make hummus so I improvised with a touch of sesame oil and a couple of table spoons of peanut butter ...it worked and those ingredients I had at the house...other than hummus Ive never use tahini so it would of spoiled by the time I used it up and not for $10.

It lasts a really long time-couple years- in the refrigerator and I do buy it at the supermarket. I think it's around $9 here. I prefer homemade hummus made to my taste, usually with a red pepper, good evoo and no salt.

LOL Eileen the price I quoted is Stop & Shop!

Assuming tahini weighs the same or less than water, my quarter cup would be less than 75 cents. To me that doesn't sound like an expensive ingredient for two cups of hummus.

Holy sh**, um.....smokes! That's a lot of money for tahini.

I can buy it at my local Meijer's, but it's about $7 for a 15 ounce jar. Now I plan ahead and buy it when I got to the Mediterranean Market in Grand Rapids. In fact, I just bought a jar on Tuesday, $3.39 for 15 ounces.

So, if you have an ethnic grocery anywhere around, check there.

I've kept mine in the pantry for months without having it spoil, and it'll last longer in the fridge.

I eat a LOT of hummus, I like it with celery sticks. I use Lars' recipe most of the time but for a change I like to skip the lemon juice and toss in a couple of pieces of canned roasted red pepper. I get the red pepper at the Mediterranean Market too, it's about $3 a jar.

Oh, and I just hit a sale on garbanzo beans, 2 cans for $1, right here at my local grocery store in town. I bought a case of 12!

That'll get me a couple of months worth of hummus for about $12.......

Annie

I've never looked for tahini in Ralphs - I always buy it at a Lebanese market on Venice Blvd across the street from Culver Center. Everything is a lot cheaper at that market, and they have interesting produce, including fresh fava beans. There's a Brazilian market across the street, but it's NOT cheap, although I will go there for Portuguese olive oil, which I like to use in hummus. I buy dried garbanzos at the Lebanese market also, along with Bulgarian feta cheese, halva, and Lebanese olive oil (for everyday use). I don't know where you live, but there is probably a middle eastern market nearby, as Annie suggested.

Lars

A friend of mine was recently trying to make hummus - and couldn't get the tahini to stir (you know how it separates?).
Are there any tricks to stirring it - it so stiff?

She ended up making a beautiful humms without the tahini.

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummus without Tahini

Sometimes, you'd find them as Tahina. It's the same stuff but called out differently.

Bonnie, I've used a food processor to stir it before making the hummus. Then, put it back into the container. Another time, I just use 2 chopsticks to stir it.

Bonnie, I just stir it up with a spoon, it doesn't seem to be that thick that I can't get a spoon through it.

I wonder if brands might vary in thickness?

Annie

Foodsonastump: Can you share what brand you buy there. I dont mind $5 but I do mind $10 and Im glad to see it keeps for a long time in the frig.

Oh... I did notice you said you bought a tub? This one was in a glass jar (kinda like a perserves jar). Maybe thats why the price was different.

I get it at Raley's for about $5.49 a can. (Can't remember the brand, but it's the only kind I've ever seen in a can). Or, if I'm ordering spices anyway, I order my favorite brand (Zayid) from The Spice House. $4.59 for a 16 oz jar. (Plus shipping, but since I'm usually ordering quite a few spices andway, it doesn't add that much to the total.)

Eileen - "Joyva" is the brand. Comes in a tin about the dimensions of Planter's nuts. With a plastic lid to re-close. In the organic aisle. But... I checked Peapod for what I think is your area (zip 30?) and they didn't offer it. If you look under my zip (46) you'll see it.

To make tahini easier to stir, I store it upside down so that the stiff part ends up at the top of the container and is easier to reach. Then I use a knife honer to stir it, as I have broken wooden spoons trying to stir it with those. I add toasted sesame oil to my hummus - I couldn't imagine making it without a sesame flavor.

Sadaf brand tahini is inexpensive, but I buy a different brand from Lebanon that is even less expensive, although I can't remember the name of it. I do buy Sadaf olive oil, however.

Lars

Wow, great responses, links, suggestions and ideas!

THANKS!!!!

My jar came from the natural foods section of my local grocery store, Raley's. It is Arrowhead Mills organic tahini. I think it was 6 or 7 dollars for 16 oz. I wish I'd seen the toasted tahini at the health food store before I bought this. It tastes bitter to me. I will use it up. I should make hummus soon. Yummy. I like it with roasted red peppers. Or roasted eggplant.

Thanks foodsonasstump!

I make my own as I need it. I rarely need more than a quarter cup at a time, and often less. That much I can make in my suribachi (Japanese ridged mortar) or mini food processor quite easily and quickly. This way, there's one fewer jar in my fridge. The suribachi is also wonderful for grinding smaller amounts of nuts, spices and seeds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Suribachi

Thanks, Rachelellen! I have the suribachi but long ago lost the surikogi. Now I know where to get one. Mine has a lovely celadon glaze.

Oh gosh barnmom, make sure you do a google on surikogi before you order from that website...they are quite expensive, I simply posted the first site I found more for the pic and description than anything else. I am sure you can replace it less expensively!

I will research, certainly. The Asian market might have one as well. Thanks! I had no idea what they were called. It was a gift.

I hadn't thought of using my suribachi to make tahini, but I might give it a try. I generally use it to make small batches of garlic butter or other seasoning combinations. It's good for grinding coriander seeds, as well as fennel, and so it should work well for sesame seeds. I only paid $5 for mine at the Japanese market, and so I was surprised at the on-line prices. You should definitely try to find a Japanese market in your neighborhood before buying one. The Asian market in my neighborhood sells mostly Lebanese, Turkish, and Indian items - nothing from Japan.

Lars

Joyva - that's the one. Both Raley's and Safewzy here have it.

I miss not having a middle eastern store around. Next time I move, I need to case out the grocery options before choosing a location. :)

Lars, grinding sesame seeds is one of the main things the Japanese use a suribachi for, as they use them in many sauces and dressings. The ridges make the grinding so much easier than it is with a Western-style mortar and pestle.

I also find that when I want to grind an amount of whole spices too small to make using my spice grinder practical, it comes in handy indeed.

Interesting... about the Suribachi... just a thought here... wouldn't a coffee grinder do the same with less effort?

I have tried a coffee grinder, and it does work, but not as well and the clean up is more difficult. The seeds tend to cake up under the blades so it's harder to get an evenly smooth texture. Also, because of the seed oil content, it's really important to clean well (so it won't go rancid) and it's a real pain to clean under the blades. The suribachi can be rinsed simply with soap and water or even put into the dishwasher. I tend to wash it by hand as I have to wash the pestle by hand anyway.

Annie, I was just wondering....you grow so many veggies, and do so much, why don't you roast and can/freeze your own red peppers? It's so easy, and I think they're much better than the store-bought peppers. :)
Nancy

Nancy, I did the roasted red pepper spread once. Just once, and it was a disaster.

My broiler on my oven is on the bottom, as in on the floor. I have to lie on my stomach on the floor to use the broiler, which is not....well....optimum. LOL

I did manage to get the peppers roasted and was told that if I put the roasted peppers into a paper bag and folded the top shut, it would steam and the peel would come right off. Yeah, sure it will...

I picked up the bag, the bottom fell out from the moisture of the peppers and the peppers went all over the kitchen floor. I picked them up, dumped them in the sink and tried to peel them, but almost none of the peels came off.

So, when I found a jar of roasted red peppers for less than $3 I never looked back.

I did plant sweet red peppers this year, but not a single one has turned red and it's going to frost Wednesday night. Our growing season is pretty short here in Northern Michigan, so my peppers seldom ripen, but this was a particularly bad year.

So, my first and only experience with roasting those peppers was such a disaster, I swore I'd never do it again. And I don't grill. At all. Elery will use the grill, I refuse to touch it. The last time I tried to grill a steak I had the da*ned thing on there for 45 minutes, and I like my steak rare. It was rare, all right, it wasn't even warm. When Elery came, it worked perfectly, of course. He said I "turned it on too fast". Whatever.

Anyway, for all those reasons, I don't grow, roast and can red peppers. (grin)

Annie

For one can of rinsed garbanzos, I use half a large, unroasted red pepper. Gives a lovely flavor and color.
I also add the other stuff too but not much water.