In artisan bakeries, locavore kitchens and seasonal menus across Atlanta, a minuscule, often subtle ingredient has been quietly showing up with increasing frequency: heirloom benne seeds.

Unless you’re a student of menus, you may not have noticed it — the similarities between commercial sesame seeds and West African-rooted benne seeds are many.

But the wider adoption of benne is part of a greater movement to reclaim heritage crops across the United States. In the South, it’s a way for chefs and other food producers to honor the culinary contributions of enslaved people who brought ingredients like benne from Africa and shaped the region’s food.

What is heirloom benne?

• Simply put, benne is a tiny, toasty seed with tremendous impact and deep cultural meaning.
• The word benne comes from West African Bantu languages, and the crop has long been a symbol of luck, resilience and goodwill.
• Many who were forced to surrender themselves for enslavement overseas wove the seeds into their hair to ward off the horrors of that journey and life beyond.
• Those who survived then planted the seeds in this new land, including the American South (namely South Carolina and Georgia), where it became an important part of these foodways.

Why did benne disappear from Southern kitchens?

• Benne fell out of fashion as farming became more industrial and producers chased efficiency and yield, Greg Johnsman, owner of Marsh Hen Mill, a leader in Southern heirloom grains, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Commercial sesame produced from modern varieties gradually took its place.
• “Over time, people also became less familiar with benne and its importance to Lowcountry food traditions,” Johnsman said.

What do benne seeds taste like?

• Myles Moody, chef-owner of So. Fox, one of Atlanta’s hottest new restaurants, explained that benne’s lower oil content allows for more flavor complexity. “The West African landrace variety has a much more robust flavor than conventional sesame seeds; Anson Mills breeds it to preserve those delicious characteristics rather than prioritizing ease of cultivation or processing,” Moody said.
• Jarrett Steiber, chef-owner of Little Bear and the soon-to-open Bar Schmutzi, agreed. Benne “possesses a lovely bitterness to complement the sweet and nutty flavors that you simply don’t get with conventional sesame,” he told the AJC.
• Chef Terry Koval, owner of The Deer and the Dove, B-Side and Fawn Wine & Amaro Bar, summed it up: “It’s simply a remarkable ingredient with far more flavor and complexity than conventional sesame.”

🌱 Read more: How Southern farmers brought benne back

The fleeting time in Georgia between the sweltering summer heat and damp winter chill has finally arrived, featuring cool mornings, warm evenings and trees dappled with orange leaves. One of the best ways to celebrate this precious season is by spending plenty of afternoons dining on patios around metro Atlanta.

📍 Bicicletta

This relatively new Peachtree City restaurant from chef Andrea Montobbio focuses on a more casual vibe than his original restaurant, Enzo Steakhouse & Bar, with a menu of pizza and handmade pastas. The large side patio has ample seating and umbrellas, plus string lighting that sets the atmosphere at night. It’s located in the Kedron Village Shopping Center, but a grouping of trees surrounds the patio to keep it feeling like a casual Italian escape. Read AJC restaurant critic Henri Hollis’ roundup review featuring Bicicletta here.

1263 N. Peachtree Pkwy., Peachtree City. 770-341-0023, bici-itl.com

📍 From the Well

The team behind Roswell’s cozy brunch restaurant Fellow’s Cafe also own this bakery, cafe and market next door. From the Well is a casual, counter-service companion with breads, bagels, sandwiches, pastries and seasonal matcha, coffee and smoothies. Everything can be ordered to go, or take your breakfast out to the outdoor patio that looks a little like someone’s secluded backyard.

1094 Green St., Roswell. 678-301-0178, fromthewell.com

📍 Le Bon Nosh

While this French-inspired Buckhead eatery has an impressive interior, the al fresco dining feels like a slice of Europe in Atlanta with a collection of small bistro tables lined against the wall and bordered by flower boxes. It’s a space suited for both lazy morning brunches with coffee and decadent pastries, and mid-afternoon conversations with friends over a bottle of French wine.

65 Irby Ave. NW, Atlanta. 404-835-2007, lebonnosh.com

📍 Tipsy Thaiger

Roswell’s darling restaurant, Tipsy Thaiger, earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in the 2026 American South guide, so there’s no excuse not to check out the Thai eatery. Historic Roswell is a haven for patio dining, and Tipsy Thaiger’s charming patio offers a variety of seating, umbrellas and string lights, making it a great option on which to enjoy gab glaam, or Thai bar snacks, and cocktails well into the evening.

605 Atlanta St., Roswell. 470-292-3297, tipsythaiger.com

🍂 Read more: Here’s our full list of Atlanta patios with peaceful settings and views of fall foliage.

Coming in hot this Thanksgiving: a delicious, fast and easy sausage stuffing that uses only five ingredients and comes together in under 30 minutes. And you can make it up to three days in advance.

With so few components to play with, every one of them has to do heavy lifting.

🦃 Find the full recipe here, a breakdown of each ingredient and tips for making this speedy holiday side.