Takhinny halva

Halva is a dessert made from ground sugar and nuts/seeds. The term is used to describe several types of confectionery. There is halva based on ground oil seeds and wheat flour or sweet vegetables.

One of the varieties of halva is tahini. Sweetness is common in the former USSR, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Mediterranean region. The protein mass of tahini halva is prepared on the basis of crushed sesame seeds. Nuts, fruits, dried fruits, chocolate pieces and other components are also added to the sweet mass.

What you need to know about tahini halva, what are the subtleties of its production and can the product be classified as a healthy diet?

General product characteristics

Halva is an oriental dessert made from sugar, roasted nuts/seeds and caramel mass. The sweet mass is formed using sugar syrup and molasses. There are many variations of the dessert. The taste and nutritional value of the product is determined by the main component: sunflower seeds, peanuts, nuts, sesame seeds or a combination of several ingredients.

Usually, natural flavors are added to halva to bring out the buttery, nutty flavor. Most often it is chocolate, vanilla, dried fruits, or an additional portion of crushed nuts / seeds.

The calorie content of halva varies from 500 to 600 kcal per 100 grams of product. That’s pretty high for sweetness. Even a small piece of dessert will help satisfy your hunger and energize you until the next meal.

The asteroid 518 Halva was named after the sweetness. The celestial body was discovered by American astronomer Raymond Dugan in 1903. His gastronomic love for halva was so strong that he decided to perpetuate the name of the sweet in space history.

What are sesame seeds useful for?

Sesame is considered one of the oldest seasonings that are known and revered by mankind. Historians have found a fragmentary anonymous papyrus that contained medical texts and notes. One of the largest blocks of papyrus belongs to an ancient Roman medicine man. There he describes the most useful plants, which include sesame.

The plant contains phytosterols. They strengthen the protective functions of the immune system and prevent the penetration of viruses into the body. Phytosterols build a special defense that eliminates bacteria and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of internal organs.

Sesame is a real storehouse of calcium. 100 grams of seeds contain 1,4 grams of calcium. Also, the composition is rich in retinol (A), B vitamins, ascorbic acid (C), tocopherol (E), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg). Nutrients help the body fight stress, harmonize the work of the heart and lungs. Vitamins are responsible for the removal of bronchospasm, increased brain activity. Regular use of sesame will increase endurance, help memorize / analyze large amounts of information faster and more efficiently.

Sesame contains phytin. It is an important component that regulates the internal mineral balance.

Another important element of the composition is sesamin. The component regulates metabolic processes in our body. It speeds up metabolism, improves the degree of absorption of food products. Sesamin will help get rid of extra centimeters at the waist and tame physiologically unjustified appetite.

Useful amino acids, proteins, vitamins will affect not only internal but also external health. Sesame will make hair healthier, nails longer, and skin clearer. But don’t overdo it. Sesame is a very high-calorie food product. Just add a pinch of seeds to a salad, hot dish or soup to saturate the body and get the desired effect.

The chemical composition of tahini halva

How to cook halva

It is important to understand that industrial and home production of halva is fundamentally different. As a result, products with different indicators of nutritional value, chemical composition, taste, aroma and structure are obtained.

Industrial production

The production of halvah consists of the following processes: formation of grated protein mass, cooking of caramel mass, preparation of sugar extract, kneading of nut mass and packaging.

Protein mass is a substance whose texture resembles sour cream. It is made from roasted sesame seeds. It is due to the protein mass that halva crumbles into dense, but tender pieces. Caramel syrup is made up of sugar and molasses. The most commonly used corn syrup is because it is relatively inexpensive and gives excellent texture to the halvah. Before boiling the syrup, sugar is passed through a special apparatus – it sifts and additionally grinds the crystals.

Caramel syrup is responsible for the taste and moisture of the dessert. Most often, the syrup is prepared on the basis of soap root or licorice root. They are cut, soaked and only then boiled. The finished liquid is passed through the filter and added to the total mass.

The final stage is whipping and kneading the dessert. Both stages are clearly controlled by employees and are carried out according to specific rules. Beat and knead the mass both manually and automatically – it depends on the specifics of production. In large enterprises, special concrete mixers are used to knead halva. Before packaging, the dessert is vacuum-treated, coated with chocolate or other ingredients.

Ready sweets are stored in warehouses at a temperature of 18 ° C and below. Humidity should be around 70%. Under such conditions, sesame halva can be stored for no more than 2 months.

Homemade halva recipe

We need:

• sesame – 200 grams;
• whole wheat flour (can be replaced with nut / coconut / sesame) – 200 grams;
• sugar (use brown or coconut to keep the structure, but make the dessert more healthy) – 130 grams;
• vegetable milk – 75 milliliters;
• vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons;
• spices and additives to taste.

Preparation

Pour the sesame seeds into a dry frying pan and fry until golden brown. Sesame will need 1-2 minutes in a dry frying pan without various additives. Send the roasted seeds to a blender, grind until smooth.

Heat the flour a little in a frying pan. As soon as it takes on a golden hue – remove from the stove, pour to sesame seeds and again beat the mass in a blender. Add vegetable oil to the prepared mixture and mix thoroughly.

In a saucepan, mix vegetable milk and sugar, put on low heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, let it simmer for 1 minute, then pour the milk into the sesame mixture and stir quickly.

Put the finished mixture on a damp baking sheet and give the halva the desired shape. Leave the dessert for 20-30 minutes to cool completely. Cut the cooled milk-sesame mass into pieces and serve.

Can halva be classified as a healthy diet?

Most of the halva, which is prepared in large industries. contains an abundance of white sugar, stabilizers, flavor enhancers, flavors and other achievements of the gastronomic industry. Why is it bad and what is the danger of using such halvah?

Refined sugar

The product is empty calories that are devoid of vitamins, minerals and, accordingly, benefits. The use of refined sugar is fraught with:

• the development of metabolic syndrome;
• diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
• obesity;
• diabetes;
• liver diseases;
• internal inflammatory processes;
• excessive accumulation of visceral fat, which interferes with the quality work of internal organs;
• an increased risk of developing cancer.

Nutritionists have long called sugar the main drug of modern humanity. The product is really addictive, which is similar to drug addiction. Sugar stimulates the production of dopamine, which is responsible for the feeling of pleasure and genuine happiness.

Industrial processing

Ready halva is stored for a long time, contains sugar, salt, trans fats, preservatives and flavor enhancers. The nutritional properties of the product also reinforce the contradictory composition. One tile may contain half of the daily calorie intake, but in terms of BJU, the product will lag behind. This is fraught with abnormal weight gain, deterioration in body quality, uncontrolled appetite and psychological problems with nutrition.

The danger of industrial additives lies in the consequences of use. These include: obesity, a specific allergic reaction, diabetes mellitus, acne, internal inflammatory processes. The most dangerous preservatives that can be in halva: artificial colors E 102, 110, 124, 133, flavor enhancer E 621, flavor / color fixer E 320.

Artificial sweeteners

Sugar-free labeling can be very tempting to the customer and beneficial to the company. Instead of refined sugar, unscrupulous manufacturers can use not natural (honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup), but artificial sweeteners.

To avoid cheating, you need to carefully study the composition of the product before buying.

Artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body’s natural response to glucose. This will lead to disruption of metabolic processes and failure of the entire digestion. Moreover, sweeteners do not satisfy the psychological need for sweets. The components do not give the desired reaction to the brain, so he “does not notice” what he has eaten and demands more. The result is overeating, metabolic failure, eating disorders.

Is it really necessary to completely abandon halva?

Oriental dessert lovers can easily exhale – there is no need to give up your favorite sweet forever. There are only 2 options that will satisfy the taste buds and will not affect health:

• cook your own dessert
• competently enter the finished product into the diet.

The first point is extremely simple. All “harmful” foods must be replaced with “useful” ones and thereby reduce calories. As a result, we get a portion of homemade sweets, which surpasses the industrial one not only in quality, but also in taste. Another advantage is that you can independently choose the ingredients, size, shape and even the color of the finished dessert.

How to correctly enter halva into the diet? Your daily menu should consist of 80% quality healthy foods and 15-20% of your favorite junk food. If the whole day the body received fruits, vegetables, meat, pasta from durum wheat and cereals, then a few pieces of halva, pizza or a fried pie simply cannot seriously affect digestion. The main thing is to adhere to the 80/20 rule, correctly calculate the allowable BJU and ensure your psychological comfort. Halva can be eaten at any time of the day, it will not affect the functioning of the body and the size of the waist. Do not create prohibitions for yourself that you want to break and be healthy!