Halva or halva is a dense sweet confectionery of various foods. Halva is commonly made by cooking food ingredients with sugar till it turns dense, smooth or crumbly and sweet. In different recipes and styles of halva other ingredients are added too to give it more flavor and texture. Halva is served as a dessert all over the world specially Middle East, South West and Central Asia and North Africa. The most popular and oldest halva recipes belong to Turkish cuisine. Halva can be made of vegetables, flours, seeds, nuts and grains. Recipe and style of a Halva completely depends on the cuisine it belongs to.
            
Since KhanaPakana mainly represents Pakistani cuisine along with the prominent and outstanding Halva stars of cuisines worldwide, I will discuss here the most cherished Pakistani halvas along with the popular halvas from around the globe. Don’t forget to tryout the most wonderful halva recipes. 

Sesame Seed Halva

Sesame seed halva or Tahini halva is easily the oldest and most popular halva all over the world. Sesame seed halva is recognized as an origination of Turkish cuisine but is a part of all the Middle Eastern cuisines. Sesame seed halva is made with brown sugar, milk and tahini sauce and has a velvety texture. A variety of flavors and nuts are added to give it taste. The most common flavorings are pistachio, almond, vanilla, coffee and cocoa. Sometimes two flavors are mixed in a sesame seed halva to give it that something extra.

Recommended Recipe - Turkish Sesame Halva / Tahini Halva

Turkish Halva

Turkish cuisine is the queen of halva making. The most delicious, popular and oldest halva recipes belong to Turkish cuisine e.g. Tahini halva/Sesame seed halva, semolina halva and walnut halva. Most Turkish halva recipes are simple enough and cook quickly. Because Turkish halva recipes are probably the oldest, they are cherished all over the Middle East as a part of Middle Eastern cuisine.

Recommended Recipe - Turkish Walnut Halva

Irmik Helvasi

İrmik Helvası is another mouth watering halva recipe of Turkish cuisine. İrmik Helvası is made of semolina, sugar, butter and pine nuts. Some recipes also have milk in it. İrmik Helvası can be velvety or crumbly depending on the recipe. Sub-Continent’s “Suji Ka Halwa” is inspired from İrmik Helvası.

Recommended Recipe - Irmik Helvasi

Gajar Ka Halwa

Gajar ka halwa is the most cherished winter dessert of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Gajar ka halwa is made of red seasonal carrots, milk, sugar and nuts. Garjar ka halwa recipe is simple enough but it takes round 3-6 hours cooking time depending on the quantity. The deep red gajar ka halwa has a very attractive appearance wrapped in a rich aroma. The milky sweetness of carrot is so irresistible that it qualifies it as the star dessert of winter in Sub-Continent.

Recommended Recipe - Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Halva)

Besan Ka Halwa

Besan ka halwa is considered to be the exotic halwa of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It is made of gram flour and sugar cooked in ghee, along with nuts and cardamom. In some recipes milk is added to give it a smoother and milder taste. Another variation of besan ka halwa is chanay ki daal ka halwa (Gram Lentils Halva). But it doesn’t taste very different from besan ka halwa since gram flour is produced from chickpeas.

Recommended Recipe - Basen Ka Halwa (Gram Flour Halwa)

Suji Ka Halwa

Suji ka halwa is the most popular everyday halwa in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Suji ka halwa might have been inspired from Tukish semolina halva “İrmik Helvası”. Suji ka halwa is also a popular breakfast in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, served with deep fried flat bread “Puri”. Suji ka halwa is made of semolina, sugar, ghee and nuts. Sometimes food color is added to give it a bright appearance.

Recommended Recipe - Suji Ka Halwa

Sohan Halwa

Sohan halwa is the popular sweet delicacy of Multan, Pakistan. The historical city Multan is popular for many attractions, Sohan halwa is one of them. Sohan halwa is commonly made of flour sugar, nuts and ghee. A sweet shop in Multan named “Hafiz Halwa shop” claims to be opened in 1750 by Mutan’s ruler “Dewan Sawan Mal”.

Recommended Recipe - Multani Sohan Halwa