Halva

OK, not East or West, but 'Middle'! 

Halva is something I was vaguely aware of years ago, as a packaged sweet available in Turkish food shops in the UK. But in Israel, halva seems to be a big deal. Check out this apparent fest of gateaux... it's all halva! Flavoured with chocolate, vanilla, coffee, pistacchios, fruits and all sorts of other fashionable variations. I wasn't sure what it was at first - cheese? I can't read Hebrew, so browsing markets and supermarkets here is a continual adventure. OK, universal things like apples and Unilever 'global style' detergents are easy enough to guess. But anything local - who knows! Shopping in Israel is not dissimilar from shopping in Japan in this respect! 

Halva at the Shuk HaCarmel in Tel Aviv

Halva is basically a dessert / cake thing, usually made with pulverised oily sesame seeds, or a nut butter, to which is added honey or sugar syrup. To eat, the basic sesame version is very sweet and nutty, with a unique texture that is dry, oily, chewy and crumbly all at the same time! In fact it turns out that Halva is pretty popular across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. And there are variations in different regions, using different seeds, nuts, cornstarch, semolina, or even rice flour + coconut as the base. The name also varies by country.

The exact origins of halva look fairly obscure. It seems most likely to have originated in the Middle East (as the name is of Arabic origin) maybe as far back as 3000 years ago. The food then spread regionally and then more widely with trade and migration.

It's quite yummy stuff; I can see why it has endured!

Here's some packaged, original flavoured halva - to give you a closer idea of texture. (You can click on pics to enlarge them.)