halva
(ˈhælvə, ‖ halˈvaː, x-)
Also halvah, halvas, halwa.
[ad. Turk. helva, mod. Gr. halvas, Arab. ḥalwā hulwa.]
A sweetmeat made of sesame flour and honey.
| 1846 I. F. Romer Pilgrimage II. ii. 33 The vender of sweetmeats with a tempting array of halva and ‘lumps of delight’ set out upon a wooden tray borne upon his head. 1908 Daily Chron. 12 June 4/7 A Greek merchant in the East-end, who..would sell you..black olives, rose leaf jam, and halvas. a 1916 ‘Saki’ Toys of Peace (1919) 134 A tin of the best Smyrna halva. 1917 Kipling Eyes of Asia (1918) 80, I eat..halwa and puri (native dishes). 1945 A. Kober Parm Me 5 ‘Halvah’, a Turkish confection. 1953 H. Miller Plexus (1963) x. 352, I see Halvah and Baklava too. 1962 Listener 24 May 931/2 Halva cake. Many of the Greek cakes and pastries are beyond the scope of the home cook, but here is a simple one. 1964 W. Markfield To Early Grave (1965) ii. 34 He brought a bagful of Hershey bars and Charms and sour balls and chocolate-covered halvah. 1973 Sunday Express 23 Sept. 7/1 From the first time he tasted halva as a child Gholamali Rastegar was obsessed by the traditional Arabic sweetmeat made from honey. |