Sohan halwa

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Sohan halwa
Sohan Halwa.JPG
A variation of sohan halwa in the form of a circular disc
CourseDessert
Place of originWest Asia and the Indian subcontinent
Main ingredientscornflour, sugar, milk, water
VariationsAlmonds
Other informationHalva

Sohan halwa (Urdu سوہن حلوہ; [ˈsoːɦən ˈɦəlʋaː]) is a traditional dessert in South Asia, which is a variety of dense, sweet confection or halwa. Gheewala halwa is popular for sohan halwa since the Mughal era. There are hundreds of shops that produce sohan halwa in the cities of Multan (Punjab), Dera Ismail Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and Old Delhi.

Saraiki sohan halwa

It is made by boiling a mixture of water, sugar, milk, and cornflour until it becomes solid. Saffron is used for flavoring. Ghee is used to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Almonds, pistachios, and cardamom seeds are added. Unlike most other halwa dishes in the Indian subcontinent, it is solid, similar to its Middle Eastern counterparts.

History[edit]

Sohan halwa (top shelf) and other traditional Indian sweets.

The origins of sohan halwa are believed to be in Persia. The word sohan is of Persian origin, and there is an almost identical brittle confection called sohan-e-qom in Iranian cuisine (Qom is a city in Iran)[1] Persian sohan is considered an ancient sweet, originally developed to be served during social gatherings.[2]

In Old Delhi, a 225-year-old Ghantewala sweet shop established during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, (r. 1759 - 1806) in 1790, made sohan halwa, and was a popular attraction,[3][4] but in 2015 it closed due to a lack of profitability.[5]

Commercial production[edit]

Sohan halwa has been commercially produced by traditional confectioners for decades. It is brittle and caramelised, usually made into discs of 5-6mm thickness or as square bite-size pieces. It is usually packaged in intricately designed tin cylinders. In recent years other packages have also been common.[6]

Notable brands[edit]

  • Nenumal Bhimandas (Ajmer) Rajasthan
  • Hafiz Sohan Halwa
  • Bhutta Sohan Halwa Multan
  • Abdul Wadood Sohan Halwa Multan
  • Rewari Sohan Halwa

Asal Multani Sohan Halwa(Original Mughal Recipe)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

[7]

  1. ↑ Sohan-e-Qom: Persian Saffron Brittle Recipe. http://www.ahueats.com/2016/06/sohan-e-qom-persian-saffron-brittle.html . Accessed Feb 8,2021.
  2. ↑ [ht://www.hafizhalwa.com "- A Royal Sweet For Royal Palates"]. www.hafizhalwa.com.
  3. ↑ Planet, Lonely. "Restaurants in Delhi, India".
  4. ↑ The royal treat in Chandni Chowk The Hindu, Nov 07, 2002.
  5. ↑ "Ghantewala: Why did Delhi's 'oldest sweet shop' shut down?". 24 July 2015 – via www.bbc.com.
  6. ↑ Ramazani, Nesta (1997). Persian Cooking: A Table Of Exotic Delights. Ibex Publishers, Inc. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-936347-77-6.
  7. ↑ Usman, Nizam Ud Deen. "Multani Sohan Halwa". Multani Sohan Halwa.


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