Halva

Halva

Various sorts of halva
Alternative names	halawa, haleweh, halava, helava, helva, halwa, aluva, chalva, alva
Type	Confectionery
Region or state	Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Turkey, Kenya, and Ukraine
Main ingredients	Flour base: grain flour Nut base: nut butter and sugar

Halva (halawa, alva, haleweh, halava, helava, helva, halwa, halua, aluva, chalva) is any of various dense, sweet confections served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish diaspora.

In global, popular usage it means "desserts" or "sweet", and describes two types of desserts:

Halva may also be based on various other ingredients, including sunflower seeds, nut varieties, beans, lentils, and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, yams and squashes.

Halva can be kept at room temperature with little risk of spoilage. However, during hot summer months, it is better kept refrigerated, as it can turn runny after several days.

The word halva entered the English language between 1840 and 1850 from the Yiddish halva, which came from the Turkish helva, itself ultimately derived from the Arabic: حلوى‎‎ ḥalwá, a sweet confection. The Arabic root حلو ḥelw means "sweet".

Most types of halva are relatively dense confections sweetened with sugar or honey. Their textures, however, vary. For example, semolina-based halva is gelatinous and translucent, while sesame-based halva is drier and more crumbly.

This type of halva is made by frying flour (such as semolina) in oil, mixing it into a roux, and then cooking it with a sugary syrup. This variety is popular in India, Greece, Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Somalia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.