As the saying goes: "No matter how you say halva, it will not be sweet." But if you eat halva, then you can get great pleasure. What interesting can you tell about her? Especially about such an unusual product as pistachio halva.
History tour
Halva is an ancient sweet. It originates from Persia, that is, modern Iran, and the first mention of it dates back to the V century BC. In Russia, it appeared only in the XX century, but it took root well and our compatriots liked it. In Persia, there was even a special profession - the craftsmen who made halva were called kanda-latch. Preparing a treat was not easy, for example, you had to stretch a foamy hot mass with your bare hands. This required great skill, so halva was very appreciated, and it could not be called everyday food.
First of all, beauties from the harem enjoyed the halva. In addition, this sweet served as a nutritious ration for the soldiers and helped to maintain strength. This is not surprising - seeds and nuts contain a huge amount of fat and are rich in protein. And honey, which in ancient times was used instead of sugar, is a source of fast carbohydrates, a kind of fast fuel, as well as a variety of vitamins and other useful substances. It is clear that warriors in battle did not require dietary food, but saturated with all the nutrients that could quickly replenish energy reserves, so the calorie content of pistachio halva was an advantage.
So different
Many people love this oriental delicacy. But not everyone knows how diverse it is. The most common in Russia are sunflower halva and the more exotic tahini made from sesame. In these types of halva, especially in the second, which has a lighter shade, other nuts and seeds are added, for example, peanuts, as well as chocolate. But pistachio halva is not so often found in a supermarket or even in the market. Therefore, many are not familiar with its taste and did not even think that there is a halva of pistachios or with their addition.
All About Pistachios
We are used to the fact that pistachios appear in our menu in a salty form, but their use is much more diverse. Pistachios grow on bushes and trees of the sumac family, which are common in the tropics and subtropics. Oddly enough, a pistachio is not a nut, but a fruit. It has a thin red shell, and inside is a seed, to which we are accustomed. It has an unusual green color for seeds and nuts. Its shade is even named pistachio in honor of this fruit. Pistachios also have other features. For example, their shells are always slightly open, so they are easy to clean and they are sold unpeeled. They have a pleasant aroma, oil is made from them.
Sweet souvenir
Most often, tourists bring pistachio halva from Turkey as a hotel. This is an appropriate way to please loved ones and friends and share an exotic taste. Turkish pistachio halva is produced by Koska. It must be understood that this delicacy does not consist of just pistachios with sugar. The composition of pistachio halva is based on sesame paste and sugar, and pistachios in it are only 10%, however, they give a characteristic taste and green blotches. Customer reviews say that for our compatriots, like other Turkish sweets, this halva is too sweet.
Do it yourself
What to do if you want to know the taste of halva from pistachios in its pure form, without other nuts and seeds? You can try to make this sweet yourself. A pistachio halva recipe will require:
- 1.5 cups unsalted fried pistachios.
- 0.5 cups of sugar.
- 2 tablespoons of milk.
- 3 drops of vanilla essence.
- Glass of water.
- 5 teaspoons of butter.
As you can see from the composition, this recipe is not suitable for fasting or vegans due to the presence of dairy products. To do without them, you can replace the butter with any vegetable without a pungent odor.
So, to cook homemade pistachio halva, you need to peel the nuts from the shell and soak in boiling water for half an hour. After this, you need to carefully drain the water and chop the softened nuts with a blender along with milk. Pistachio paste should be a fine-grained lint. Then you need to put sugar in it and stir. Now a pan with non-stick coating comes in handy. On it you need to slowly melt the butter. Nut butter is fried in butter. This process takes about 15 minutes to thicken. The paste must be constantly stirred. After frying, you can drip a drop of vanilla essence into the mixture.
Now for the manufacture of halva, you will need a square shape, it will be enough 18x18 cm. It must be greased with oil and put the nut paste there, carefully leveling its surface. The mass remains until it cools completely, then it is cut with a knife-saw into squares. This is how any halva is made, so you can experiment and cook sweetness not only from pistachios.
Pistachio Lean Candy
And this recipe will please both lovers of natural products, and those who observe the fast. Since this sweet consists of nuts and sweet, viscous ingredients, it also strongly resembles halva. To prepare a treat, you will need:
- 100 g of pistachios.
- 4 tablespoons cashews.
- Half a banana.
- 3 dates.
Pistachios need to be cleaned and chopped together with cashews in a blender. One tablespoon of the mixture is set aside for deboning. Banana and dates should also be crushed, turning into mashed potatoes. This sticky binder mass must be mixed with nut paste. From the resulting mixture, you can mold round candies or any other shape, at the discretion of the chef. After that, roll in chopped nuts. As you can see, this recipe is quite simple. It is suitable for those who want to replace sugar as much as possible with other sources of sweets, more natural and healthy. True, there is such a delicacy is not worth those who suffer from allergies.
Benefit
The benefits and harms of pistachio halva are due to its composition. Any seeds and nuts are rich in useful substances, because they store everything necessary for the future sprout, which can develop from them. Pistachios are no exception. They contain useful elements such as potassium, magnesium, copper and phosphorus. In large quantities in these nuts you can find vitamins of group B, especially B6. In addition, pistachios contain antioxidants that slow down the aging process and serve as prevention of cancer.
Pistachio halva is also an aphrodisiac, so this is a great dessert for a couple in love. This is also a “bonus” brought by the composition of pistachios.
Like other types of halva, it is recommended for athletes with heavy loads. It helps to quickly make up for energy losses. Nevertheless, pistachio halva is not a panacea, but it is not for everyone.
Harm
First of all, you need to understand that halva has a huge amount of sugar. Therefore, it should not be eaten by diabetics and people with obesity. Healthy people watching the figure, it should be eaten in moderation. There are other reasons why it is not wise to overeat halva. It can be a very allergenic product. Those who are prone to allergies should eat a very small portion and follow the reaction of their body. And if you are definitely aware of an allergy to nuts and seeds, such a product can be simply life-threatening. In addition, halva is not so easily absorbed by the body, so it is also not recommended for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys.