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halvah

halvah

1 6.8
A sweet made from semolina or grain flour cooked with sugar and fat
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑːlvə/
translation icon : halvá
  • The bakery offers several varieties of halvah, including ones with nuts and dried fruit.

Examples

  • During the festival, families often prepare halvah as a traditional treat.

  • I love halvah!

  • She served homemade halvah after dinner, garnished with chopped pistachios.

  • Have you tried halvah from the local bakery?

  • For dessert, we enjoyed a slice of halvah drizzled with honey.

  • She bought a small block of halvah from the local Middle Eastern market.

  • At the festival, various vendors offered halvah made from sesame and pistachios.

Synonyms

baklava
vshalvah
8 6.0

A sweet Middle Eastern dessert of thin flaky pastry layers filled with nuts and honey

is cooked from grains, flour, or vegetables with sugar and fat
halva
vshalvah
6.6

A soft sweet made by cooking wheat or lentil flour with fat and sugar

is broader and also includes Middle Eastern grains or vegetable versions

How Dense

toffee
15 1.9
fudge
92 1.0
halvah
1 6.8
cake
850 1.0
sherbet
  • US
5 2.0

Surface Forms

halvah singular
halvahs plural

Etymology

Halvah comes from the Arabic word halwā, meaning 'sweet', a name that spread into Persian, Turkish and South Asian languages. That's why many different sweet desserts—made from semolina, grain flour, or cooked vegetables—are all called 'halvah'.