A TEMPLE TO HALWA

At the heart of Sharjah’s heritage district—a cluster of low-rise, honey-coloured buildings and a tangle of winding alleyways, or sikkas—is the Souk Al Arsa, one of the oldest marketplaces in the UAE. The souk’s walkways are covered, shaded by palm-frond thatch. The shops brim with antiques and treasures: old coins and telephones, model dhows and dallahs, gas lamps and incense burners, brass mortars for grinding coffee and spices.

Inside the souk, where the main path is joined by an alleyway, a tantalising aroma is carried on the air, at once sweet and delicately aromatic. Tucked away in this alley is a hidden temple to halwa, the most traditional of Omani desserts. Al Omani Sweet Factory is home to perhaps the best halwa in the UAE, certainly it is one of the oldest.

Omani halwa first came to the Emirates with goldsmiths from Muscat who worked in the souk fashioning jewellery to local tastes. The smiths would bring the sweet molasses-hued halwa from their trips home, it proved so popular that halwa makers from Muscat soon set up shop in the souk. Not to be confused with Levantine and Turkish halva made with tahini sesame paste, Omani halwa is made with ghee (clarified butter) and caramel and jellified with cornflour. Lighter halwa, similar to Turkish delight, cut into cubes and wrapped, is called masghati in southern Iran.

Here, the mixture is cooked in wide copper cauldrons, raised on a platform above the fire. Crouched on a low stool beside the cauldron, dressed in white shalwar kameez, is the halwa maker. He sits back to back with his colleague, one a reflection of the other, fans whir beside them to offer respite from the heat. It requires a skilled artisan to keep the bubbling-hot mass within the confines of the cauldron, stirring constantly with a long wooden-handled paddle to keep the mixture soft and fluid. There are no thermometers, the maker knows instinctively that it is at the right temperature. The stirring is physically demanding yet meditative. As he stirs, he blends in ingredients—rosewater, walnuts or cashews, pistachios or sesame seeds, and spices. 

Halwa flavoured with cardamom and saffron are highly sought after during Eid. Families order well in advance, buying tens of kilos to serve guests and visitors at the communal sufra, often by the head of the family who pulls out chunks by hand as a sign of his respect and generosity towards his guest.

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A TASTE OF BETHLEHEM

Halwa is best eaten fresh and warm—customers often take it home in heat-retaining pots. Biting into it, it is sticky and buttery with the crunch of nuts and sesame seeds, and the delicate fragrance of spices as it melts on the tongue. The texture is a blend of toffee, jelly and fudge. It can be eaten with a spoon, but typically a bite-sized piece is pinched away with the fingers. The tactile stickiness is a pleasure of its own.

Halwa is a fixture of any festivity at home—for Ramadan, births, marriages and homecomings—and it is always on offer in the majlis. Without it, a celebration would be incomplete.