A dense, sweet confection made from tahini or other nut/seed pastes, popular throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. It has a crumbly, fudge-like texture.
From Arabic حَلْوَى (ḥalwā), meaning 'sweetness' or 'sweet thing,' from the root ḥ-l-w meaning 'sweet.' The word spread throughout the Ottoman Empire and entered English through various Mediterranean languages in the 19th century.
The word 'halva' literally just means 'sweet' in Arabic, showing how this confection was so iconic that it became synonymous with sweetness itself! Different regions developed their own versions, from sesame-based tahini halva to semolina-based varieties.
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