Halva - Cultural References

Cultural References

In Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran, after the burial ceremony, on the seventh and fortieth day following the death of a Muslim, and also on the first anniversary, semolina helva or flour helva is cooked and offered to visitors and neighbours by relatives of the deceased. For this reason, flour (un) helva is also called in Turkish ölü helvası, meaning "helva of the dead". The expression "roasting the helva of someone" suggests the person referred to died some time ago.

The Greek saying Ante re halva! ("Άντε ρε χαλβά!" – could be translated as "get lost, halva") is used when the speaker wants to offend someone, usually a man, by calling him a coward and/or chubby. Another saying, dating from the period of Ottoman domination, states "Ρωμαίικος καβγάς, τούρκικος χαλβάς" (roughly translated as "A fight among Greeks is halva to Turks").

In Egypt, it is believed, as it has often been portrayed in literature and media, within the incarcerated community, halawa is a prized item commonly offered to inmates by visiting family members. This has led to the exploitation of this cultural phenomenon by a local halawa manufacturer in a recent advertising campaign.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (and also, to a lesser extent, Croatia, Slovenia (Styrian part of the country) and Serbia), the phrase "ide / prodaje se kao halva" or Styrian dialect of Slovene "re ko' alva" ("sells like halva") is a colloquial expression denoting a product's sales are very high, similar to the English expression "sells like hotcakes" or the German expression "verkauft sich wie warme Semmeln" ("sells like hot bread rolls").

Recurring references to halvah have been made in Mad magazine over the years.

Allan Sherman's song "The Streets of Miami", a Jewish-centered parody of "The Streets of Laredo" contains the line, "I shot and Sam crumbled / Just like a piece halvah..."