On a recent Saturday evening in Cobble Hill, a line formed outside a Mediterranean bakery as staff pulled trays of tahini-chocolate cake from the oven. Inside, a handwritten sign advertised sweet potatoes covered in tahini butter, priced at $8 per serving. The dish has become a regular on the summer menu, according to manager Lina Farouk.
Across Manhattan and Brooklyn, tahini is showing up in places beyond classic hummus. At a Lower East Side café, slabs of rye toast come spread with tahini and honey for weekday breakfast. In Astoria, a Turkish deli sells jars of thick tahini paste next to the checkout for $10.50 each, with brisk sales reported since early May.
Some chefs say the ingredient answers demand for nut-free, plant-based spreads in summer salads and desserts. At a Chelsea restaurant last week, chef Adam Riley drizzled tahini over grilled eggplant and new potatoes for a seasonal lunch plate.
Supermarket orders reflect the trend. A produce manager at a Park Slope grocery said they increased tahini stock after Memorial Day. Shoppers have been asking for new uses, including in cookies and cakes. Several bakeries now offer tahini-chocolate chunk cookies, selling for $4 each.
As June heat sets in, cold appetizers built around tahini are appearing at more sidewalk tables. The flavor—earthy, creamy, faintly bitter—seems to suit the city’s summer appetite for lighter plates. For now, tahini remains a steady presence on menus and grocery shelves.