We were shopping each day at the market in the Old City of Jerusalem. Wonderful figs, olives, pomegranates and fresh greens. It was colorful, noisy, hectic and total pandemonium with its narrow streets and numerous carts. I wandered around the stalls inspecting the spices, the fabrics, colors and smells. No zoning here. Fish next to pitas next to bras. I remembered that the fish stall had a large and prominent sign: “Don’t touch the fish” (in Hebrew). However, in the very next stall I watched while women pawed every pita in the bin before deciding which to purchase. Next to the pita stall were bras and women’s lingerie for sale. Hmmmm. Quite an assortment.
We came upon a shop of take-out restaurant for Iraqi food. The Iraqi food shop had large pots of steaming stews. I asked DH, “What kind of food is it?” He stopped for a moment, opened the lid of the pot where he stood, looked inside, replace the lid. “Brown” he replied.
Across the way I saw an intriguing assortment of something that looked, perhaps like cheeses. The owner offered a tray of bite-sized pieces. “What’s this?” I asked. “Try it and see!” DH responded. I did. WOW. This was unbelievably good. Kind of like heaven in a bite. I was in awe. What was this? I had never tasted anything like this! “It’s halva” DH informed me.
Immediately I tried a few flavors and we purchased two kinds to take with us. This stuff was bliss and it was addictive! Really delicious, melt-in-your-mouth sweetness. It’s made from sesame and honey – but flavored many ways with raspberry, almond, rose, chocolate, vanilla, caramel – you name it. See all the flavors displayed in the picture below.
Heaven on earth. For me, truly nectar of the gods. I can’t imagine life without experiencing halva.
You may also like Jerusalem By Night and Secret to a Fabulous Life.
