Plain or two-tone with cocoa. Stuffed with pieces of chocolate or pistachio and almond. Traditional with honey and raisins or more modern with oat sesame and berries.
The reason for him halva, a sweet whose history is lost in time. It has been loved and at the same time accepted so many influences from different cultures as a result of which it has become a constant value that always remains timeless.
Dessert especially popular and beloved especially during periods of fasting but also because of its nutritional value, as it is rich in nutrients in any version, with many different recipes (which makes it adaptable to everyone's needs).
Its name seems to come from the Arabic root hulw (halva), which means sweet. It is not known exactly when it entered Greece, it is probable that it passed into Greek cuisine towards the end of the 12th century by refugees from Asia Minor who knew the art of its preparation.
It is a well-traveled sweet that has not only been loved but has penetrated deeply into the culture of every culture it has passed through. In the city, for example, it was prepared for certain religious ceremonies of the dervishes. While in Greece, it is associated with the fast of Lent.
Why has halva emerged as the sweet of pure Monday?
One of the main reasons that halva has been associated with the diet during periods of fasting and especially during Lent is its rich nutritional value. Shrove Monday is a very important day as it marks the beginning of a long 40 day fast.
When we fast our body deprives a large part of the nutritional factors that we consume the rest of the period. Both due to the limited diet and the small amounts of food we receive during the fasting period there is a need for foods of high nutritional value.
Halva has ingredients and beneficial properties and offers protein, iron, calcium, good quality fats, natural antioxidants and much more. Due to the many and different ways of their production, it can be adapted to any diet, giving each time the nutrients that we lack and need.
As a result, it is able to contribute to the normal development of the body, to the metabolic function and strengthening of the bones, to the better function of the heart, while at the same time it has certain anti-aging and anti-hypertensive actions.
According to studies, it also helps in the treatment of cholesterol, in the better functioning of the immune system and in the treatment of diabetes.
The halva of "Bakalis"
The "grocer" halva, the most casual dessert on the Greek table, has a history, art, great taste and is a category in itself. It was brought to us by the people of Asia Minor and the same families today maintain the traditional way of preparation.
The fibers of handmade halva are obvious and beautiful, but the surprise is in the fluffy, soft and soft texture. This halva melts in your mouth almost before you manage to chew it.
It is a traditional dessert that gives health, taste and lifts our diet during Lent, but also every other season.
Gourmet flavors… from the City, with art and tahini
From then until today, halva has evolved and has become one of the most beloved traditional sweets of the Greeks. This was contributed by local halva producers who continued its production and dissemination thanks to their passion and love for it.
Two producers who contributed to this are Ioannis and Georgios Loukas, from Istanbul. The brothers opened their first halva workshop in Thessaloniki in 1945. The reins have been taken over today by the third generation, maintaining the traditional way of preparation and the original recipe, producing by hand the "Halva Luke».
Staying true to their vision, they produce daily "With art and tahini" the unrivaled political handmade "Halva Luka". The traditional production of handmade halva is a priority of the Lucas brothers. This is also evident from the way the halvas are kneaded in hand, every day, in the "basimia" that the grandparents brought from the city.
Η variety in flavors, (15 different flavors) make "Halva Lucas" stand out. You can enjoy it with orange couverture, almond couverture, fig couverture and the new flavors chestnut couverture and hazelnut couverture are among the flavors that established "Halva Luka" in the consciousness of consumers. With the most classic halvas such as vanilla, cocoa, honey, pistachio halva being a choice for the family fasting table and more.
The unique taste, the quality and the growing demand of its products, have boosted exports. In fact, on fasting days, halva production in the laboratory "Luke", reaches 2 tons per day.
So start eating traditionally with halva. Modern and up-to-date as never before, as it meets the requirements of a healthy diet.
Find the products "Lucas" in 1.200 points in Greece and abroad as well as on the website lukas.gr on Facebook and Youtube.