This is not halva, but it is a close relative. It is tasty, even addictive, comes from India and can be found in Israel. It does not include Tahini, but does include hummus.

The product in the picture is called Soan Papdi. It is – are you sitting down? – an Indian halva that does not include Tahini, but does include… Hummus. Hummus flour, to be exact.

Maybe calling it halva is not exactly right, considering it doesn’t include anything that remotely resembles sesame. But it’s taste, look and feel is definitely very close to halva, somewhere between normal halva and “halva hairs” (Persian fairy floss), with a strong aroma of cardamon. It is also as addictive as halva.

Apparently, this is a traditional candy from the Bijnor region in India. It even has a Wikipedia entry. The candy is a relative of the Mediterranean halva. The missing link between them is the Persian candy Sohan, seasoned with saffron.

We found many variations for each of these candies online. The common denominator between them is the combination of sugar (or honey) and fat (tahini, butter or Indian ghee), and mostly also cornflour or flour (hummus flour, in the Indian candy), almonds or pistachios and spices.

The Soan Papdi in the pictures was spotted and purchases by Ynon Oren, a friend of the blog (do not miss his website), in the Indian store OMM, located in the central bus station in Tel Aviv, for 12 NIS for 250 gr.