Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Halvah and Turkish DelightOne of the best things about going to New York City is I always know I can find great Halvah there, and often Turkish Delight. I know that it’s not everyone’s favorite candy, and I’ll wager that many candy aficionados haven’t even tried it before. Let’s face it, traditional halvah as sold at the counter of a candy shop or deli is never very appetizing. I remember the first time I had halvah; my mother returned from New York City with some wonderful baked goods (including some sort of super decadent flourless chocolate cake from Dean & Deluca) and a slice of this stuff. Frankly, I wasn’t impressed at first. What was it? How do I eat it? Halvah (also spelled halva or halwa) is basically a crystallized paste of sesame seeds (tahini) and sugar. There are often other additions, such as nuts, dried fruit or chocolate. It can be further dressed up and dipped in chocolate or rolled in nuts. I’m rather fond of plain halvah with pistachios. The stuff that I get here in Los Angeles is usually prepackaged and who knows how old. This halvah that we picked up at Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side ($7.99/lb.) was fresh and crumbly and smelled wonderfully of sesame and vanilla. To eat halvah I usually break off a few small pieces (each about the size of a walnut) and put them in a little ramekin and then eat it with my fingers, sometimes breaking the pieces into smaller bits. Since there’s a crystalline structure that forms as the halvah cools, it cleaves better than it cuts. The taste is hard to describe but it’s basically a sweet paste of sesame kind of like a light, sweet peanut butter. It’s not quite like marzipan, which doesn’t dissolve completely because of the almonds. Some folks don’t like the texture, some don’t like the smell of sesame (I can’t stand the smell of toasted sesame oil, so it’s a wonder that I like this stuff at all). It’s buttery and smooth as it melts on the tongue and is quite filling. The pistachios add a dash of nuttiness to it. Overall, halvah has a slight malty taste to it, which might be why I’m attracted to it. It’s amazing to think that I’ve never had chocolate covered halvah before, but I guess I just don’t shop at the right stores. I found these at Economy Candy around the corner from Russ & Daughters. Outside is a sweet chocolate and crushed almonds and inside is a marbled chocolate halvah cube. They’re quite messy to eat, as you can imagine. The halvah in these is a bit softer and a little oilier. The sweet chocolate and nuts make for a very filling treat, but quite addictive. I bought a half a dozen of these (they were 50 cents each) and proceeded to eat three of them that afternoon and had to make another trip to buy more because I promised to bring some back for my mother-in-law. Who knows how many will make it to the weekend when I am going to present them to her. I know that there’s been a huge surge in interest in Turkish Delight (also known as Turkish Paste or Lokum) since The Chronicles of Narnia came out, and I wrote a bit about that here. I like Turkish Delight in most flavors, but I’m a little unusual in that I appreciate floral flavors in my candy. It’s rather hard to find good, fresh Turkish Delight in the United States. There’s the prepackaged stuff, but I’ve heard it’s a far cry from the fresh stuff you can get in the markets in the Middle East. This Turkish Delight was new for me. I usually get the plain squares that are flavored rather traditionally with rosewater, mint, lemon, orange or orange blossom. This was pistachio and rosewater. Let’s face it, it’s rather unappealing looking. Just a slice of jelly with pistachios embedded in it and covered with powdered sugar. At the counter where I picked it out at Economy Candy ($8.99/lb.), it was displayed as a long log, spiraled into a rather odd looking white lump. But this trip was about adventure. Turkish Delight needs to be eaten fresh, so I ate most of this while I was still in NYC, saving about four slices (there was a half pound minimum) for the photos when I got back. This is addictive stuff and I can see why Edmund got into so much trouble even with the un-nutted stuff. It smells like light flowers and of course sugar. Biting into it, the suspension of the rosewater jelly has made the pistachios soft and buttery. The mix of the nuts which are also known for their perfumy qualities and the lightly sweet rose jelly is quite stunning. I found myself chewing and swallowing quickly just so I could take another bite. Sometimes I’d hit a spot where there was a lot of jelly and got to revel in the fragrant stickiness and other times it was all nuts. Of course every once in a while you get a bad nut and that’s no fun. I don’t recommend it for everyone. If you’re the type of person who likes Spice Jelly Beans or the more fragrant Indian spices like cardamom and star anise, you might like Turkish Delight.
POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:00 am |
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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I’ve only ever been to Turkey once, although I’m aware that there is some debate between the Turkish and Cypriats as to who holds claim to Turkish or Cyprian Delight.
Anyway that’s not the point. I’ve only been to these two places once, but my God you’re so right, there is nothing like fresh Turkish Delight. You know it isn’t good for you, full of Sugar, but even the gorgeous, dry, excessive amounts of powdery icing sugar feels good on your fingers and tounge. I was only about…12 at the time, but I spent most of my time eating Delight and drinking Apple Tea, seems wierd now…
Why did you have to review Turkish Delight!? That’s cruel!
I’m wondering if you have ever had Russian Halva?
Its made with sunflower seeds and while it may look a bit strange, it is one of my favorite desserts that I save for special occasions. I buy it from a Russian deli.
GTO - yeah, I know everyone fights over the good stuff - who invented halvah, who developed baklava ... it’s what unites us!
Sasha - I saw the sunflower version at the local grocery chain that carries a lot of Russian stuff (Jon’s) but I didn’t buy it. Maybe I’ll pick it up next time I’m there.
Turkish delight will always be instantly associated with ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ in my head ^_^
I had Turkish Delight for the first time last year, both the chocolate-covered Cadbury kind and the real thing. I love both, but am partial to the chocolate covered as it’s less messy than the powdered sugar. Anyway, the authentic kind I had was rose with pistachios and was really good. It had a lot less nuts than the ones in your photo, though.
I had wonderful, fresh Turkish Delight from the Lebanese Bakeries up on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn when I lived there several years ago. I’d always loved Aplets and Cotlets as a kid, and suddenly I’d discoverd the “real” version. What’s your take on the Aplets and Cotlets, by the way?
Love the halvah, too. I read once that halvah was eaten as the main sustenance during the time that Jews were first settling in Israel post 1948 - as it was one of the only sources of protein available. You could do worse!
Anyway, thanks for the great review of both - two candies I love and rarely get to eat.
Joanna - I’ve never had Aplets & Cotlets as I’m allergic to walnuts. But I just went to their website and see that they have some other non-nutted tasties (including a version of locoum as they call it) that I might need to try someday. It’s a perfect summertime sweet (no melting!).
Grace - the Fry’s is the only chocolate covered one I’ve tried so far, but I think I’d like some of the UK Turkish Delight sweets that I’ve seen mentioned like that.
Samantha - I know what you mean! I don’t think I ever would have tried it if I hadn’t read the book first.
Awww! Thanks for doing the Halva update! My patience has been rewarded! It sounds like yummy stuff (heck the Turkish Delight does too).
I hope to try them both sometime!
I didn’t know about Russian Halva being made from Sunflower seeds - very interesting.
But I do have one very strange halvah-experience to recount: Some time in the early 90ies my SO bought a big lump of something unappetisingly greyish at a market in Estonia.
It turned out to be Polish halvah, made from peanuts!
It was the ugliest piece of edible stuff I’ve ever seen. And the taste was really strange. After the first try the instinct was to chuck it all out. It was far too sweet, unpleasantly greasy/oily (OK, that’s my main beef with halvah in general, and why I don’t eat it often) and the prominent peanut taste was really weird when you expect something creamy and sesamy.
BUT… we didn’t chuck it. And it turned out to be a perfect candy for those intense sugar-cravings I sometimes get.
And once I got used to the peanut-y taste I actually started liking it. And thinking how good it could be if made with higher grade ingredients and not so grey and ugly and not *that* crystallized in structure.
Your article brought back memories of my father eating halvah on a buttered roll (his parents were immigrants from Russia/Poland) and his next favorite candy was Turkish Delight, which my mother made for him (not the children, mind you).
Thanks for those memories - coming to the serface - and giving me fond thoughts and brought a smile to my face!
I am eating pistachio halva right now. I share a room at work with 4 others. They dont like it. Help. I cant stop.
Your article on halva surprised me for the following reason - I am an Indian originally from the state of Maharashtra and halva (sesame+sugar, sesame+jaggery) is a very popular sweet in my state. It is made and distributed to friends and relatives on the festival of Makar Sankranti (first Hindu festival of the solar calendar year, on Jan 14). This festival is celebrated all over India in different forms. I have grown up eating (and loving) homemade halva (we call it tilgul), I would love to sample the halvah you describe here and the turkish delight too (imagine i have been to Turkey, and have not tasted this ! had no idea then ...) I am also wondering about the “sweet” connection between Turkey and India here ...
Sangita - I belive that halvah is one of the first sweets (besides honey preserved fruits) and it seems only natural that it originated somewhere in the middle east or on the Indian subcontinent because of the vibrant cultures in both places thousands of years ago.
I would love to learn to make my own halvah and customize it with some other essences, like cardamom.
Wow, I wish I could try the Halvah you talked about. It looked great. I never did like Halvah when I was growing up, but all I had access to was the disgusting Joyva kind that tastes like sweet sawdust.
A couple of years ago I tasted a marbled Halvah that Trader Joes sells, and much to my surprise, liked it. I guess the quality makes all the difference.
Just returned from Kyiv (Kiev) Ukraine with some sunflower seed halvah with peanuts. Delicious. They also had plain and another type which I couldn’t figure out not knowing Ukrainian or Russian.
My wife’s Turkish and I’ve been to Turkey a number of times. Fresh TD is awesome. There’s a little TD “factory” in Marmaris, that makes these succulent, small cubes, with my favorite being pistachio (fistikli=with pistachios). Rose is pretty funky, but I actually like it. Anyway, some prepackaged varieties are pretty good too and there are a number of online Turkish groceries you can order from like http://www.akmarket.com/ or http://www.kalustyans.com/
My favorite packaged variety is Hazer Baba, but there are many others. I really dig halva too.
Rob
BTW, I came across this site, because I’m macking on some mini, red Swedish fish. I wanted to see their origin and it led me here. I used to get Swedish fish from the penny candy section with my Grandmother at the local delicatessen. They’re still my faves of the jelly candies, particularly the red ones. Cool site! Thanks, I’ll be back.
Rob
There’s a place by my house that sells halva, and I find it a great camping snack—light, filling, good energy. Probably not great for me, but I’m OK with that.
I should add that it’s a Greek grocery store.
TTFN
Travis
Hi,
Great site!
The best Halva I know though is the Israeli Halva - there’s nothing like it.
Does someone have a recipe for it? please post it.
Also love Turkish Delight - we call it Rachat Lukum.
Yonathan, Israel
Hi, I’m from Argentina. Here halva is very popular but the tahini is made of peanuts. Some greek inmigrant elaborated this receipt many years ago. They sell it packaged and it lasts many days inside its package. Recently, his company, called “Georgalos” was purchaced by Cadbury, esecially beacouse of the mantecol receipt, wich was a secret. So don’t be surprised if you find some sort of mantecol the next time you go to your local candy shop. Please read this: http://www.cadburyschweppes.com/EN/MediaCentre/PressReleases/argentine_aquisition_180101.htm
saludos,
Pablo
any ideas on what to do with russina halvah made with sunflower seed - instead of just eating it out of hand? can it be mixed into a dessert or some type of cake?
fresh halvah is available from russian stores in the sacramento area. I was introduced to this type of halvah a few months ago. eating it with russian baked yogurt to wash it down is a nice treat. the sweet halvah and the tart yogurt. gotta love it.
and yes, it is gray and crystalline. I’m thinking of cutting it into cubes, dipping in chocolate and walnuts.
Great article. I am a big fan of halvah. I have tried it first when I was in Istanbul around 10 years ago. It is healthy as well as tasty.
I have also found this informative article about halvah if anybody is looking for further nutrition info:
http://portal.turkishcorner.com/helva-information-how-to-make-halvah/
hey there. in relation to what sangita wrote about halva, in pakistan its the most basic desert and made from a variety of different base ingredients and in different textures. different types of halva include chickpea (its actually gor-juss, with a lovely sandy, musky flavor), almond, peanut, even squash and lentils. each one is further flavored by top notes of rosewater, cardamom, anise and cinnamon.
christ, am sorry about the ton of comments i’ve left in one night. couldnt sleep so been browsing through various fave blogs.
I recntly bought coffee halvah in Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, I packed it away and didn’t taste it until I returned to NY—otherwise I would have purchased much much more. It seems deliately flavored with ground coffee, adding to the general halva grittiness. Wonderful. Any ideas on where this might be available in the US would be appreciated.
Hi. I love Halvah, but my husband and daughter can’t stand it. More for me!
It’s hard to find here in Minnesota, and the store had to order it special when I requested it. What they got was a Joyva product, but not the prepackaged. Probably the loaf, then cut into smaller portions. It’s fine.
I grew up eating it on special occasions, a traditional food in my Germans from Russia heritage family. (Sesame version, not sunflower or peanut)
I did find this video recipe in which you may be interested:
video.about.com/mideastfood/Sesame-Halvah.htm
It’s nice to read an article about Turkish Delight. The last time I ate Turkish Delight was when I bought a box of it from a little shop in Fethiye - it was really delicious!
I love Halvah and hadn’t had it for years until a few months ago. I found it in the supermarket (joyva brand). BTW, they have marbled and chocolate covered halvah too! I got the marbled and I ate the whole package in about 2 days - yummy!
Halvah is also good crumbled and spread on lightly buttered toast. I first had some way back when I was 5 or 6, Camel brand in a little tin and I thought it was tuna. My dad kept trying to get me to try it and I kept refusing but once I finally tried it I was hooked. Yum!
Just had lokum (turkish delight) in an arab restaurant in Israel. Absolutely amazing. I assume it was rose flavored because it was a maroonish color, no nuts. I didn’t even think it was Turkish delight at first because the only kinds I’ve seen in the US have been very chewy, a brownish color and full of nuts. If you have a chance to taste the homemade fresh stuff you must.
PS: The fresh halvah at the markets in Israel is to die for especially the marbled one.
I agree, the Economy TD was delightful. I would have preferred a much higher jelly to pistachio ratio but maybe that was the luck of the batch.
The best TD I had was about 25 yrs ago. It was an English brand with rose and lemon. I didn’t care for the lemon but the rose was perfectly heavenly!
On my quest to rediscover the perfect rose TD I tried Haci Bekir which had the best reviews on Amazon. Good but not great and had some sugar afterburn.
I just got my order from Pariya based in Australia. I tried Rose Petal and Pistachio Rose TD. They taste unlike any I’ve had before. More like tea rose. Really good. I also loved their saffron nougat. It’s pricey but sooo good.
One day I hope to try the really fresh made rose TD I’ve heard about- anyone know a place in NYC?
Hello, My name is Jenn and I have been all over this web site and I cant seem to find the recipy for halva I love the stuff and so dose my father and it is his 56 b-day in a few days and I would love to make it for him is there any one that can help???? Please BTW this website is AHSOME
Dear Jenn: there are plenty of receipts of halva. Depends on where in the world you are. The original preparation is made of sesame seeds, but sometimes they use sunflower or peanuts. For “a few days” deadline Using peanut butter may be the best choice for you. I think.
hope it helps-
Hi Jenn,
As far as I know from my “research”, making sesame Halva like the commercial kind s impossible at home since you need special machinery. But the closest thing to it in taste is taking Tahini (Sesame paste), which in the US can be found either in the supermarket in the Healthy/whole food section or either in whole food stores, at least that’s where I found it when I livved there.
So where was I? ok, so the closest thing to it in taste, but not in texture, is mixing either sugar syrup or honey with Tahini. if you mix honey to it it will give an extra taste from the honey which is, by my opinion very good, but if you don’t want the honey taste in it just mix the Tehini with a sugar syrup that you can make in advance.
Just experience with th ratio to get your favorite consistency.
But that will not be hard as a commercial Halva. it will come out soft!!
But if you want to surprise him look for a recipe for Halva coockies or Tahini coockies which comes out with the same taste as Halva while in some recipes, all you need is Tahini rather than the commercial Halva.
Good Luck and keep us posted!!
Yonathan
Turkish delight is amazing, ofcourse this is a matter of opnion, but you should really eat the true turkish delight. Its Turkish , try ordering hazer baba of the internet those are my favorite. Also i see alot of people like halva , get the turkish one , what can i say i love turkish food.
But please, please, please , instead of buying cadbury’s turkish delight buy true turkish delight , its not the same thing. Cadburys is a cheap imitation of something heavenly from turkey.
I strongly recomment you to try the ones in turkey as i think every one will be more pleased by them.
I was under the impression that the new interest in Turkish Delight came from Madonna’s ‘Candy Shop’ song…
Yum, Turkish delight. I have been looking for a place in the states that sells a decent one. My husband will be in NY next week so maybe i’ll have him make a stop.
I haven’t tried Halva, I’m always tempted by it but am ashamed to say I have no excuse for not having it… I’ll have to try and find some in Ottawa that is from a good source.
As for turkish delight- I absolutely love it. Big turks are nice… but you need the rosewater flavoured stuff dipped in dark chocolate… yum yum yum, it’s like eating perfume, as weird as that sounds. I always feel like I should be sitting on a cushy pillow and completely relaxing with friends when I eat it. It is pure decadent comfort food.
Reading comments about mixing Tahini with honey reminded me of somethign we used to eat as kids growing up in Turkey in the winter time. You mix tahini with molasses and spread it on your toast. YUM! I’m going to have to go home and have some tonight methinks.
hi
we are creating a new shop where we are going to sell candies and chocolates and all whats is related to in Tangier Morrocco . si we are looking for a supplier in turkia to work with.
Best Regards
Many greek halva flavors here:http://stores.ebay.com/SHOPPINGREEK/Halva-/_i.html?_fsub=1273645011&_sid=957199971&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beaniesmom/2408041021/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beaniesmom/2408036233/
I tried a few of these in Turkey! So great, and fresh. I also loved the distinctly chewy ice cream, it’s made with an orchid root paste that you can’t buy here.
These candies are all so great, thanks for such a nice blog article on it!
Hello;
Do you have any recipes to offer? I came here from a google link where I searched for recipes for homemade halvah and your listing IMPLIES such recipe offerings. Thank you.
the oldest company is hacibekir which is established in 1777. They produce genuine turkish delight. their website is hacibekir.com.tr
Here is their USA contact:
KRINOS FOODS LLC
4700 Northern Boulevard Long Island C?ty NEWYORK 11101 USA
E-Mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Tel : 001 718 7299000
TO ALL OF YOU !!!
Alva is a Turkish delicacy and will be Turkish forever. Like many specialties: Sarma, Baklava, Kadaif, Gjomleze, Gjevrek, Simit, Tulumba, Boza, Halva, Lokum,......
Intonation of the word itself tells that the origin is not greek, but Turkish. (halvakakis ))
My greetings to all turkish people.
Kosta Kirkov from Macedonia.
This macedonoian fellow must have been under the influence of turkish; none of these food and words,belong to turks !
halwa, baklawa.lokum,kadaifi all of them is Assiyrian-Aramaic.
The rest is Greek !
Turks call Koluria as ” simit” ; ironically, kouloria is Assiriyan, but
simit is Greek !
Greeks use the original word; meantime ” simit” was used by
Armenian bakers in Anatolia( now they call this fabulous place as Turkey !)
thanks for the oppurtinity
@ J Merinde, Khana Pakana.com has some good recipes for home made halva. Ive tried the Walnut/Molasses halva from there. It has almost the same texture as caramel candy, but with the kind of sweetness that only cane molasses can give. in other words, very delicious.
Ive also been becoming dangerously addicted to sesame halva, which has a very similar flavor and texture to peanut butter which is probably why I like it. Its really good with chocolate mixed in but I would probably like it plain as well.
My mother made a candy using peanut butter, honey and powdered milk mixed together and rolled in parchment paper. I’d forgotten all about it until reading about Halvah on your blog.
You can buy halva on ebay
If you ever are in NYC and want an unforgettable candy experience, stop at Vintage Foods on 287 Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. They import so many Turkish and Russian sweets that you’ll need a cart just to buy one of each. Halvah is fresh, and locum… m-m-m… every variety. With pistachios,almonds, walnuts, lemon, rose, plain…
I first had hulvah as a child at my grandparents. They were Russian, German, and French mixture. The hulvah was strange. Not really sweet. Then when they passed I never had it again. The other day at the health food store I bought a piece. It was covered in chocolate and rolled in almonds. Oh my gosh, it is so good. Big difference from my childhood experience. I am glad I tried it again.
Excellent comments about halvah. Very helpful. Thanks
i loved halva special tahini halva is my favourite
Mert, veyr interesting story..you too, Cybele..
As for MY Turkish tastes, I think that I will just stick with Turkish Taffy. From Bonomo, of course.
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