Where did halwa come from? It finds its roots in the Middle East and Asia Minor, brought to the subcontinent through trade during the Mughal expansion here

Halwa finds its roots in the Arabic language and refers to many dense or compact desserts. Originally Halwa was either flour based or used various nuts with sugar, milk and butter to create a sweet gelatinous, or hardened nutty dessert.

It is commonly believed that this kind of Halwa was introduced to the settlers in India through trade with the Middle East and Asia Minor during the expansion of the Mughal Empire.

However, the halava native to our sub-continent is best described in The Hare Krishna Book of Vegetarian Cooking by Adiraja Dasa;

“Sweets from the subcontinent are generally made from milk products, fresh fruits, whole grains, chickpea flour, lentil flour, and nuts. Of all the sweets in the subcontinent, milk sweets are the most delectable, and with traditional cooking methods, you can make them in a great variety. Another group of sweets are the ones made from toasting and roasting chickpea flour, lentil flour, and dried fruits in a base of milk. There are various kinds of halava (no resemblance to the Turkish variety). These are made from combinations of nuts, semolina, hazelnuts, fresh fruits, carrots, lentil flour, and chickpea flour.

The shared food heritage between Pakistan and India is fascinating: we share the same food stories and love the same foods, and can rightfully lay claim to most foods as our own. This not only makes for a delightfully interesting dinner conversation with friends, but also a common ground to share family recipes and stories.