What Is Halva Made From?

Halva is a sweet and dense confection found throughout the world. It basically encompasses a large range of sweets found in Central Asia, the Middle East, parts of the Mediterranean and the Balkans. Given its wide breadth, there are many different types of halva; however, they are all characterized for their sweetness and thick consistency.

History

Although many believe halva, also known as "halawah," "hulva," "hulwah," etc., has Indian roots, there is evidence which suggests it is of Arabic origin. The word itself is derived from the Arabic "hulw," which means sweet. Hulw referred to a paste composed of dates kneaded with milk common in seventh century Arabia. However, by the ninth century, the word came to mean flour or semolina, cooked either by frying or toasting and mixed stiff with sugar or some other sweetening agent such as grape syrup or honey. Sometimes, nuts or pureed carrots were added and the hulw was then cut into squares or fitted into molds. From there, this sweetmeat spread across Europe and the Middle East, taking on local ingredients.

Semolina Halva

Generally, halva is a dense sweet. However, the actual ingredients vary from location to location. One popular variant of halva is made out of semolina, the roughly ground middlings of Durum wheat. It is mixed with butter and then sweetened with sugar, sugar syrup, grape syrup or honey, although this also varies according to location. Halva is flavored with nuts, such as almonds and even walnuts, carrots, spices, raisins, dates and other dried fruits. The proportions of semolina halva are 1:2:3:4---one part fat, two parts semolina, three parts sugar or other sweetening agent and four parts water.

Sesame Halva

Sesame halva consists of a paste made out of ground sesame seeds called tahini, which replaces semolina as the main ingredient. Tahini can be bought already prepared or you can even grind your own paste out of toasted sesame seeds and add a hint of sesame oil to smooth out the texture. As with semolina halva, the variations are practically endless. However, the basic ingredients are tahini, sugar or honey, and water, although the water is often omitted; and then there are the flavorings, which really depend on personal taste and local traditions. Persian halva contains flour and butter. Modern versions make use of black sesame seeds as opposed to golden sesame seeds.

Indian Halva

Indian halva is somewhat different from the dense halvas of the Balkans, Turkey, the Mediterranean and parts of Eastern Europe. It has more of a pudding-like consistency, although some of the ingredients are similar. Most Indian halvas contain a combination of milk, ghee (butter), sugar and some sort of flavoring such as almonds or cashews or dates. The milk is boiled and reduced after which the sugar and other ingredients are added. The end product can be served hot or cold.

Geography

Halva can be found in many countries throughout the Middle East, India, Central Asia, the Balkans and Mediterranean regions including Greece and Cyprus. It is also popular in Russia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Syria, Albania, Turkey and the Caucasus region. Semolina halva can be found in India and surrounding countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. Somewhat different versions of semolina based-halva can be found in the Balkans. Sesame halva is more popular in the Middle East and in some parts of the Mediterranean.