casamento e 'halva'

In Shekure and Black's marriage, Pamuk illustrates, in detail, the Turkish wedding ceremony and its rituals, for example, how the groom comes on a white horse to the bride's house to take her to her new house. As part of the procession, they announce their marriage to the public, to see if there is any objection, in accompany of a hand-drum and zurna (a folk music instrument), and the groom lowers the bride mounted on the horse to her new house by emptying "a bag of silver coins" over the bride's head before the public (246). Pamuk describes the Turkish religious festivities and ceremonies with all details, and also informs the readers about the customs of eating and celebrating on different occasions like

... the baklava, mint candy, marzipan bread and fruit ladder of holidays; the pilaf with meat and the tea-cup pastries of circumcision ceremonies; drinking sour-cherry sherbet at celebrations held by the Sultan in the Hippodrome; eating everything at weddings; and tossing down the sesame, honey or variously flavored condolence halvas sent by the neighbors at wakes. (291)

(daqui)


Although halva is found all over Greece, it seems most likely that the etymology and perhaps the origins of the dish are Turkish. According to the "Classical Turkish Dictionary," the word 'halva' in Turkish means sweet, but has evolved over time to be associated mainly with the name of the particular sweet in question.

In the "Turkish Cookbook," Nevin Halici writes that halva - or helva as it is called in Turkey - is the oldest dessert in Turkish cuisine. Mention of the dish is made in the 13th century works of Mevlana Jalaluddin-i Rumi, who conceived a philosophy of harmony and cooperation and provided much information on the subject of food. Many dishes are described in Mevlana's works, among them two versions of helva, one made with grape syrup called "pekmez helvasi" and one made with almonds called "badem helvasi". In the 15th century, during the reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, under whose rule Topkapi Palace was greatly expanded to accommodate a more elaborate court life, the kitchens were rebuilt to include a structure with six domes called the Helvahane, or House of Helva, where, among other things, numerous varieties of halva were made.

By the 17th century, the elite of Istanbul were holding elaborate dinners called Helva suppers, perhaps not unlike the symposia of the ancient Greeks. At these Helva dinners, the sweet was served as a kind of intermezzo between sessions of discussion and entertainment. In some parts of Anatolia to this day helva suppers are still held.

Today, helva is still a very popular sweet in Turkey, consumed on special occasions, but especially to mark births and deaths. There are several versions to be found. One is a loose pudding made with semolina into which is stirred sweet hot milk. It is seasoned with saffron and pistachios. The funerary dish is "Kara Topak Helva", which is made by browning flour and sesame seeds in butter and adding hot pekmez syrup and walnuts. The mixture is kneaded like a dough and served warm. (There is a Turkish saying, "He carries the halvah pan on his shoulders," which connotes that someone is dying.) Another version, "Un Helvasi", is made by slowly browning flour in butter, then adding a sugar syrup and pine nuts, not almonds or pistachios. "Irmik Helvasi", is a granular pudding also made with semolina and hot milk. Helva is a favorite votive gift among Turkish women.

Although there are disputes as to when, the dish, or at least its name, seems to have moved south and east from Turkey, into Syria and Lebanon, the Gulf States, Afghanistan, and, finally, India. Some sources say that Turkish emigrants, not Ottoman conquerors, brought it to the Arab countries a mere hundred or so years ago. Most agree it was introduced into India by the Moguls in the 16th century.

(daqui)

un helvasi
un helvasi