Everything you wanted to know about halva

Halva is a word derived from حلوة (hulwa) which means sweet in Arabic, but it's used all over the Middle East, south Asia, north Africa and even eastern Europe to describe a kind of sweet confection. It might also be called helva, halwa, halwa, halvah, chałwa, etc., but it is the same thing.

Types of halva:

You might know the dense kind of halva but actually, there are two different types: nut-based and flour-based. The firm and crumbly kind are the nut-based usually made with sesame paste (Tahini) or sunflower seeds, and the flour-based is a paste of slowly toasted wheat, rice or chickpea flour and semolina with butter, oil or ghee.

So Halva is a middle-eastern dessert made in various forms with different ingredients. from nuts like pistachio, walnut and almonds, vegetables like carrot, squash and beetroot, fruits like mango and dates, along with grape syrup, milk, skimmed milk powder, egg and even legumes like lentils and Mung beans are sometimes used.

The halva world is very diverse and vast and worth a shot to taste or even make them!

My cousin enjoying some halva

My cousin enjoying some halva

We especially enjoy halva with a cup of tea. We also use halva like peanut butter: spread it on bread, use it in cakes and so on.

Because halva contains fibre, proteins, essential minerals, etc., it is not only delicious but also good for your health! It just has high sugar, so it should be consumed carefully.

Halva in Iran:

In Iran, halva is served at gatherings, funerals (Khatm) and religious ceremonies. The most common one is the wheat flour / Persian halva which is pictured above. It is wheat flour toasted in oil with a sugary syrup made of saffron, cardamom and rosewater, and garnished with rose petals, pistachio, almonds and coconut powder.

When the flour is toasting, it has an amazing aroma. We usually send some to our neighbours!

This is a short list of common halvas in Iran: Havij (carrot), Saffron, Arde (Tahini halva), Masghati, Tar halva, Shirazi, Se-aard (3 flour), Oomaj, sheer (milk), Khormaee (date) and some modern kinds like Zanjebili (ginger) and chocolate halva.

Here is a picture of Haviji halva:

View gallery image

And I did a post of another kind of halva here:

FoodTribe

Shirazi Halva | حلوای کاسه شیرازی

For this halva I used sprinkles and edible pearls.; which is a modern twist for our traditional sweet! And it turned out pretty good

For this halva I used sprinkles and edible pearls.; which is a modern twist for our traditional sweet! And it turned out pretty good

There is nothing better than enjoying the cozy autumn sun with some tea and halva.

So have you ever had halva? Do you have special kinds of halva in your country?

Can't wait to hear from you guys! Have a nice day FT!