Halva
حلواToasted flour, saffron and rosewater
- Serves
- 8
- Preparation
- 5 min
- Cooking
- 35 min
- Course
- Sweets
- For
- Remembrance, Ramadan
- Diet
- Vegetarian
Persian halva is quite unlike the sesame halva of the Levant: wheat flour is toasted until nutty and brown, cooked with butter or oil, and stirred together with a syrup of sugar, saffron and rosewater until it forms a smooth, dense paste.
It is closely associated with remembrance. Halva is made for funerals and memorial gatherings and is often shared on Thursday evenings in memory of the dead; it is also commonly eaten in Ramadan.
Ingredients
Serves 8
For the syrup
For the halva
To decorate
Method
Tips from the kitchen
- Do not rush the toasting: under-toasted flour tastes raw, and over-toasted flour turns bitter.
- Made with oil instead of butter, halva is vegan.
- Some families add a spoonful of the halva to small rounds of lavash for serving at gatherings.
