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Halva Alternative name(s):
halawa, haleweh, halava, helava, helva, halwa, aluva, chalva
Main ingredient(s):
Flour base: grain flour Nut base: nut butter and sugar
Recipes at Wikibooks:
Halva
Media at Wikimedia Commons:
Halva Halva (halawa, alva, haleweh, halava, helava, helva, halwa, halua, aluva, chalva ) refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle Eas t, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Ba lkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world. The term halva (Arabic: ?????? ?alawah / ???? ?alwah), meaning "desserts" or "sw eet", is used to describe two types of desserts: Flour-based This type of halva is slightly gelatinous and made from grain flour , typically semolina. The primary ingredients are clarified butter, flour, and s ugar. Nut-butter-based This type of halva is crumbly and usually made from tahini (se same paste) or other nut butters, such as sunflower seed butter. The primary ing redients are nut butter and sugar. Halva may also be based on numerous other ingredients, including sunflower seeds , various nuts, beans, lentils, and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, yams a nd squashes.[1] Halva can be kept at room temperature with little risk of spoilage. However, dur ing hot summer months, it is better kept refrigerated, as it can turn runny afte r several days. Halvas The word halva entered the English language between 1840 and 1850 from the Yiddi
sh halva. The latter term came from the Persian language - Iran (halva - ????) a word which itself ultimately derived from the Arabic: ????? ?alwa, meaning swee t confection.[2] The Arabic root ??? ?elw means "sweet". Types[edit] Most types of halva are relatively dense confections sweetened with sugar or hon ey. Their textures, however, vary. For example, semolina-based halva is gelatino us and translucent, while sesame-based halva is drier and more crumbly. Flour-based[edit] This type of halva is made by frying the flour (such as semolina) in oil, mixing it into a roux, and then cooking it with a sugary syrup. This variety is popula r in Greece, Iran, Turkey, Somalia, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Semolina (suji)[edit]
Turkish un helvasi, a semolina-based halva This variety of halva, produced and served in India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Banglad esh, Pakistan and surrounding countries (different versions of it are also found in Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, Macedonia and Tur key), is usually made with wheat semolina, sugar or honey, and butter or vegetab le oil. Raisins, dates, other dried fruits, or nuts such as almonds or walnuts, are often added to semolina halva. The halva is very sweet with a gelatinous tex ture similar to polenta; the added butter gives it a rich mouthfeel. The standar d proportions of semolina halva are one part fat (a vegetable oil or butter), tw o parts semolina, two parts sweetening agent (e.g. sugar or honey) and four part s water. The semolina is sautéed in the fat while a syrup is being made of the swe etener and water. Then the two are mixed carefully while hot, and any extra ingr edients are added. At this point, the halva is off-white to light beige, and rat her soft. Depending on recipe and taste, it can be cooked a bit further, which m akes it darker and firmer, or left to settle as is. In India, halwa is prepared in different forms. The recipes use flour, melted bu tter, sugar and goondh (Dinka or Goond or Katira Goond or Gond or Kamarka). It c omes in various colors like orange, brown, green and cream with a translucent ap pearance studded with cashew nuts, pistachios etc. Technically the term halva is used in native recipes throughout India, and though semolina halva is considere d to be essentially a "Northern" confection, it is also quite popular in South I ndia. A prominent South Indian version of halva (or alvaa in Tamil) is from Tiru nelveli, a city in the state of Tamil Nadu. Another semolina preparation widely enjoyed throughout South India called kesari or kesari-bath originates from the state of Karnataka. In Pakistan and India, vegetable based recipes include beetroots, potato, yam, a nd most commonly carrots (for gajar halwa), mung beans (for moong dal halwa) or bottle gourds (for doodi halwa) are also used instead of semolina. Prepared with condensed milk and ghee, without semolina to bind it together, the end result h as a moist, yet flaky, texture when freshly prepared. Other examples include the famous Agra Petha easily available at Taj Mahal, Agra. Cornstarch[edit] Cornstarch halva is popular in Greece, and has many variations. The farsala reci pe is the most well known. It is quite sweet, with caramel-like syrup.
Rice flour[edit] See also: Dodol This rice flour and coconut milk halva is common fare on the streets of Zanzibar . Nut butter based[edit] This type of halva is made by grinding oily seeds, such as sesame, to a paste, a nd then mixing with hot sugar syrup cooked to hard-crack stage. This type is pop ular in the eastern Mediterranean and Balkan regions, in countries such as Bosni a and Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Ru ssia, Greece and Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Macedonia, Albania, Syria, Central Asia, southern India, the Caucasus region and Turkey. It is also popular in Algeria and on the central Mediterranean islands of Malta. Sesame[edit] Sesame halva is popular in the Balkans, Poland, Middle East, and other areas sur rounding the Mediterranean Sea. The primary ingredients in this confection are s esame butter or paste (tahini), and sugar, glucose or honey.[3] Soapwort[4][5] ( called erq al halaweh in Arabic; çöven in Turkish), egg white, or marshmallow root ar e added in some recipes to stabilize the oils in the mixture or create a distinc tive texture for the resulting confection. Other ingredients and flavourings, such as pistachio nuts, cocoa powder, orange juice, vanilla or chocolate, are often added to the basic tahini and sugar base. Sunflower[edit] Sunflower halva, popular in countries in Eastern Europe including Belarus, Bulga ria, Romania, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine, is made of sunflower seeds instead of sesame. Other[edit] Floss halva[edit] Pismaniye (Turkish) or floss halva is a traditional sweet, prepared in Kocaeli, Turkey, made by flossing thin strands of halva into a light confection. Made pri marily of wheat flour and sugar, the strands are continuously wrapped into a bal l shape and then compressed. The result is a halva with a light consistency, sim ilar to cotton candy. Floss halva can be found in regular and pistachio flavors, and there are brands with halal or kosher certifications. A similar pistachio-based version of floss halva is popular in North India. It t ends to be slightly denser and is often referred to as patisa or sohan papdi. In Chinese cuisine, a floss-like candy similar to pismaniye or pashmak halva, know n as dragon beard candy, is eaten as a snack or dessert. A raw version of halva also has become popular amongst proponents of raw food di ets. In this version, a mixture of raw sesame tahini, raw almonds, raw agave nec tar and salt are blended together and frozen to firm.[6] Cultural use[edit]
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve th is article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be ch allenged and removed. (July 2009) Halva is the most common modern English spelling and the transliteration from mo st Balkan languages. Other transliterations include helwa (Maltese), xalwo (Soma li), halvah (Hebrew), halwa or halwi (Arabic), helva (Turkish), chalwa (Polish) and halva (Hindustani). The Hebrew-derived spelling, halvah (Hebrew: ?????), may at times be used to ref er specifically to the kosher variety. The word halawa (?????) in Arabic means 'sweetness', while the word halwa (????) means sweets or candy. The word halva comes from the Arabic word halwa; the roo t word is hilwa meaning sweet. Albania[edit] Halva, hallvë in Albanian, is usually eaten as a dessert-based meal, that is, with no entrees or appetizers consumed prior. The majority of halva in Albania is fl our halva, although home-cooked semolina halva and shop-produced sesame halva ar e also consumed. Wheat flour is usually used, although corn flour halva is also common. Argentina[edit] Halva is available in Argentina, especially from confectioners of Syrian-Lebanes e or Armenian origin. In the 1940s, a halva substitute named Mantecol made with peanut butter was introduced by Río Segundo's Georgalos, a Greek immigrant family firm. It became a popular product; in the 1990s, the brand was sold to global fi rm Cadbury Schweppes, which altered the recipe. Georgalos now manufactures the o riginal product under the name Nucrem. Both versions are available in candy stor es and supermarkets. Bahrain[edit] In Bahrain, the most popular form of halva is a jelly-styled sweet also known as halwa Bahraini in neighboring countries. And it is not like the halva that in m ost countries is based on sesame paste and in Kuwait called rahash. Bangladesh[edit]
An assortment of Bangladeshi halwa (from left): papaya, carrot, and semolina, (b elow): chickpea Various kinds of halua (Bengali: ???????) are prepared across Bangladesh and nei ghbouring Bengali-speaking regions of Kolkata (Calcutta). Some of the most commo n types of halua include semolina (????? ??????? shujir halua), carrot (?????? ? ?????? gajorer halua), chickpea (????? ??????? bu?er halua), flour (????????? ?? ????? neshestar halua) almond (??????? ??????? badamer halua), and papaya (????? ? ??????? p?per halua). Halua is usually eaten as a rich dessert, but it is not uncommon for Bangladeshis to eat it for breakfast with traditional breads, such as puris (???? puri) or parathas (????? pôro?a).
Bosnia and Herzegovina[edit] Halva is widely used in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is available in different for ms and flavours. Brazil[edit] In Brazil, which is home to the largest Syrian-Lebanese population outside the M iddle East, plain and chocolate tahini halva can be found in cans in most superm arkets, while fancy varieties are sold in specialized food shops. Bulgaria[edit] In Bulgaria, the term halva (?????) is used for several varieties of the dessert . Tahini halva (????? ?????) is most popular and can be found in all food stores . Two different types of tahini halva are made one using sunflower seed tahini a nd another using sesame seed tahini. Traditionally, the regions of Yablanitsa an d Haskovo are famous for their halva. Semolina halva (???? ?????) is made at hom e and can be found only in some pastry stores. White halva (???? ?????), which i s made of sugar, is popular on the last Sunday before Lent (Sirni Zagovezni; ??? ?? ?????????), celebrated with customs, in one of which a string is tied to a pi ece of white halva and all the children, while standing in a circle must catch t he turning piece of halva using only their mouths. Almost all types of halva in Bulgaria are flavoured with essence of Good King He nry (?????). Croatia[edit] Halva is a sweet that is consumed in Croatia. It is not uncommon to come across the specialty in the regions of Slavonia, Kordun, Lika and Baranja or regions th at at one time came into contact with the Ottoman empire. Halva is especially po pular in Slavonia during kirvaj or local church fairs. Egypt[edit] Halawa tehiniya (????? ??????, [hæ'læ?wæ t?ehe'nejj?]) or usually simply halawa is a p opular confection in Egypt that is relatively inexpensive (as of 2012, one kilo (2.2 lb) can be bought for about EGP 20). It is sesame-based, and comes as plain , mixed with nuts (often pistachios), or mixed with chocolate. It can be enjoyed alone, or with baladi (lit. "of the Country"; whole-wheat round loaf) or Wester n-style fino bread, and sometimes with the Arabic equivalent of clotted cream (? ???, eshta ['e?t??]). Halawa is available as big blocks freshly cut according to weight (usually 1/4 or 1/2 kilos), or pre-packaged in plastic containers or as snack bars. More recently, extra-sweet "halawa spread" has been introduced. Less common is the fine, fibrous halawa shaar (hair halawa) (????? ???, [hæ'læ?wæ ????]).