Subject: Re: Peanut Brittle

From: [email-masked] (Nick Maclaren)
Date: 29 Mar 1994 11:57:28 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (P. K. Powell   ) writes:
|> This thread reminds me of a *sweet* that I used to get in a wrapped bar,
|> probably of middle eastern origin, that was honey and sesame seeds,
|> period.  (1) what is it called, (2) has anyone a recipe, (3) might this be
|> an early type-model for peanut brittle?

This might be halva (in various spellings), which is made of ground
sesame seeds and honey and comes from the Near East (probably the old
Ottoman Empire).  Do not confuse it with the sweet of the same name
from India and Pakistan, which is semolina-based.  I don't have a recipe
to hand, but look in cookbooks of the Eastern Mediterranean countries.

I doubt that halva would be an ancestor of peanut brittle, because it
is almost uncooked and few people would replace sesame by peanuts.  You
may be thinking of some other sweet, of course.

Nick Maclaren
University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street,
Cambridge CB2 3QG, England.
Email:  [email-masked]
Tel.:   +44 223 334761
Fax:    +44 223 334679

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From: [email-masked] (P. K. Powell )
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 23:16:32 GMT

This thread reminds me of a *sweet* that I used to get in a wrapped bar,
probably of middle eastern origin, that was honey and sesame seeds,
period.  (1) what is it called, (2) has anyone a recipe, (3) might this be
an early type-model for peanut brittle?

Thank you.  Kaye

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From: [email-masked] (Steve Wendt)
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 19:00:12 GMT

In a previous article, [email-masked] (Nick Maclaren) says:

>Ottoman Empire)....

halva's great, but I think that the bar that reminds of peanut brittle has
the sesame seeds whole, not mushed up as in halva. These are still very
common snacks where I live - they are sold commercially as "Sesame Snaps"
and by other names, and, come to think of it, seem a lttle like
mini-peanut-butter, although the seed to candy ratio is high.
-- 
...............Steve Wendt                    Ottawa
([email-masked])                    Canada

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From: [email-masked] (Mark Waks)
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 1994 18:56:31 GMT

>to hand, but look in cookbooks of the Eastern Mediterranean countries.

One caution (from memory -- David, please correct me if I'm wrong): "halwa"
in period had a rather broader meaning than this. My impression from the
cookbooks I've looked at is that it refers to a broad class of sweets,
not a specific dish...

				-- Justin du Coeur

Random Quote du Jour:

"...at work today a woman complained because the seltzer she had bought
 was carbonated.  she said, `but it says "sodium free" on the label!
 that means it's not soda!'"
		-- gypsy

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From: [email-masked] (Daniel Paul Checkman)
Date: 31 Mar 1994 03:52:55 GMT

>Thank you.  Kaye

1) it sounds like halvah, but halvah is flaky, but brittle.
2) yah, but not on me- I'd really have to do some digging to find it, and
   chances are you aren't going to want to try it, unless you have the proper
   equipment or want to spend hours trying to crush/grind the sesame seeds 
   into a meal/paste.
3) not what I'm describing!  I usually think of it more as an early model for
   fudge, if a model for anything at all.
:-Dan