Comment by noelsusman
4 years ago
Sesame seeds on buns were popularized by the introduction of the Big Mac in the 60s. They weren't the first, but they definitely propelled it into the mainstream. The original purpose is lost to history but it was likely just for visual appeal.
Turkish simit bread (a type of roll) is completely coated in sesame seeds and I think predates the Big Mac by some hundreds of years. There is some prior art regarding sesame seed rolls.
Anecdotally I find people from east of the prime meridian seem to eat a lot more seeds and nuts than I see USians do.