What is the difference between sesame and perilla?

Sesame and perilla plants are sometimes both called ‘sesame’, but actually they are different plants. So which one is which?

My parents-in-law grow sesame and perilla plants on their farm, a couple of hours away from Seoul. The seeds of both plants can be made into oil  – perilla oil (dul girum 들기름) and sesame oil (cham-girum 참기름). The aroma of the oils are slightly different but they still smell like ‘sesame’.

Both plants have seeds but only one has the distinctive zig-zaggy edged leaves. And the plant with the leaves is …….

….Perilla

…yes, I’ve been calling them sesame leaves too.

Only the perilla plant has edible leaves. The plant has leaves and seed pods. So strictly speaking, sesame leaves are not ‘sesame’ but perilla leaves – kkaen-nip 깻잎.

Perilla is a herb belonging to the MINT family and the plant is easy to recognise by its large green leaves. Japanese shiso leaves are also a kind of perilla and look similar to Korean leaves.

But the texture of the Japanese perilla is softer and the flavour is lighter which suits delicate Japanese dishes. The hardy Korean perilla has to hold its own against pungent Korean garlic, chilies, chilli paste and fermented soybean paste.

By summertime the leaves can be picked. The stalks are picked in autumn and dried and shaken to remove the seeds.

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Perilla seeds are pressed to make perilla oil

So perilla leaves can be eaten raw with sashimi and bbq meats or the leaves can be cooked in stews. When the leaves are cooked I think they taste like a combination of mint and basil. yum. They can also be marinated in soy sauce as a side dish – kkaen-nip-jangajji 깻잎장아찌. There’s a recipe to make perilla leaf pickles at the great Korean cooking site Maangchi.

Perilla seeds are pressed to make perilla oil (deul gireum 들기름) which tastes similar to sesame oil. Both oils are good for us but perilla oil is considered to be even better for our health. So if possible it is the preferred choice of the two oils when used for salad dressings etc. But sesame oil is more widely available in the shops.

Aren’t the perilla seed pods adorable? They look like tiny bells.

Ground perilla seeds make perilla powder (들깨가루) and can be put in soups to take away some of the saltiness in salty soups like soybean soup or ramen.

So what does a sesame plant look like? 

Sesame

The sesame plant doesn’t have edible leaves, just seeds which grow in pods much larger than the perilla pods. Sesame seed oil cham-girum 참기름 is used for dressings and in cooking just like perilla oil.

At harvest time the sesame plants are picked and the seeds removed from the pods. The plants are turned upside down and shaken and beaten to get the seeds out of the pods!

Read more about food and farming life in Korea:

A Korean vegetable farm in autumn 

How to make kimchi 

Kimjang making kimchi with the family 

What food is eaten at Chuseok?