Fasting

[ania]

This is one of the many when you Google Halva

250 g / 8 oz tahini or sesame seeds
125 g / 4 oz raisins
125 g / 4 oz dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
Grind sesame seeds in a grinder, or use ready made tahini from a jar. Break down the dried fruit in the food processor until it forms one homogenous mass. By hand, break the mass into smaller pieces, and then add the seeds or tahini and vanilla. Turn the food processor on again, and keep it turning until it forms a mass again; this will take a few minutes, be patient. You may need to add a few drops of water to get it to hold together, but be careful, any more than a few drops and it will become too sticky. When it's become a single solid mass, take walnut-sized balls of the mixture and roll between the palms of your hands to form balls. Store in the fridge.

[Justin2]

I just had some Halvah last night! I eat a chunk of it on fast days with a cup of chamomile tea, after dinner. That's the same thing that the monks on Mt. Athos do for the pilgrims. We'd go in on a fast day, and for dinner there would be dried olives, halvah, bread and a very tasty chamomile. You don't want to eat too much at once, though because it's very sugary and can upset the stomach (not to mention rot the teeth and make on chubby). As far as I knew, it's made from sesame seeds, sugar, and sometimes chocolate (for color). I'm pretty sure it's origins are Arabic (and thus "borrowed" by the Turks), as "halvah" is actually a mispronunciation of "hel-wa" which is Arabic for "sweet" (as in the noun). It's very good with a small finjan (cup) of Arabic/Turkish/Greek coffee (don't want to offend anyone, heheh).

[George]

I have been having a spoonful of it too in the evenings during the fast - though it is so nice I sometimes wonder if it is appropriate. I will have to try it with chamomile tea

[Lucian]

The name may be derived from the Arabic word for sweet, but the kind I have had was made with sunflower rather than sesame seeds and came to Russia by way of the Caucasus.

I love sunflower seeds (minus the doggoned shells), so I cannot imagine how the sesame seed variety of halvah could be as good as the sunflower seed kind.

I agree that the sweet stuff must be pretty fattening, but I must admit I have eaten some sizeable hunks of it.

Yum!

[Justin2]

And in absolute contrast, I don't think I'd be too interested in the sunflower seed version, but I'd probably still try it in any case. As for George wondering if it was okay to eat it during the fast, the way I look at it, if it's good enough for the Fathers on the Holy Mountain, then it's good enough for me (of course, just a little bit with some tea).

[Lucian]

And in absolute contrast, I don't think I'd be too interested in the sunflower seed version, but I'd probably still try it in any case. As for George wondering if it was okay to eat it during the fast, the way I look at it, if it's good enough for the Fathers on the Holy Mountain, then it's good enough for me (of course, just a little bit with some tea).

I'd like to try the sesame seed version. It sounds good; it's just that the sunflower seed kind is so delicious I can't imagine that the other could be better.

But who knows? I've been wrong before.

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I Thought Halva was a Greek Sweet?