Black sesame dessert has long been a popular food tradition in Hong Kong and Southern China. Typically served after meals or as an afternoon snack, Black Sesame Dessert (or Zhi Ma Hu) has a very fragrant and roasted nutty flavour, mostly from black sesame seeds. The seeds are roasted to the perfect temperature then ground to fine powder and blended with other ingredients to obtain the smooth and flavoursome texture.

In Asia, black sesame is known to have health benefits through traditional Chinese medicine. In Asia, black sesame is used to improve the health of greying hair, skin and digestive system.