Halwa
More actions
| Kind | Sweet |
|---|---|
| Part of the plant | Leaf Flower |
| Also called | alwa |
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Recorded in | Indian Hemp Drugs Commission |
| First recorded | 1894[1]: 158 |
| Still made | Not known |
Halwa, the sweet of flour, sugar and ghee, was made with bhang or ganja in India. The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission named it in 1894 among the hemp sweetmeats similar to majum and in general use,[1]: 158 and in 1957 I. C. and R. N. Chopra described it as commonly used in southern India.[2]
Mysore, 1893
The memorandum on ganja and its preparations in Mysore by J. G. McDonnell, printed with the commission's report, gave three recipes for alwa. Ordinary alwa, as made and sold in the bazaars, was made from rollong, sugar, ghee, almonds and essence of rose, with ganja "according to the requirements of each private party". "When private parties want ganja added", McDonnell wrote, "they supply the needful to the sweetmeat-man". He boiled the ganja in water, pressed the water out and boiled the residue in the ghee before the syrup and the rollong went in.[3]: 144
The second recipe was "for the preparation of alwa for children". One tola of ganja was boiled in water and pressed, its stalks and seeds removed, and boiled in ghee for half an hour and strained. Sugar was boiled to a thick syrup, and ground poppy seed, dry figs, almonds and rose petals were mixed in with nutmeg, cardamoms, cloves, caraway, cinnamon, sandal, anise, honey, saffron and the other ingredients. It was sold at one cash a ball of 54 grains, "which is a dose for a child eight years old". The third, alwa kamera-jafran, was for adults. Four tolas of ganja were boiled well and the water pressed out and thrown away; the residue was ground. Nutmeg, cunchoori root, cardamom, clove, caraway seeds, cinnamon, sandal, anise and mace were powdered and mixed with the ganja after it had been boiled with ghee. Jaggery went in with them. A ball of 180 grains sold for five cash. The two recipes differed in how the ganja went in: the children's alwa kept only the liquid of the ganja boiled with ghee, while the adults' took in the boiled ganja itself and threw the water away.[3]: 145
Southern India, 1950s
In the Chopras' account bhang or ganja was boiled in a jaggery syrup and filtered. The residue was thrown away, and the filtrate, which held the active principles, was used to make halwa "in the usual manner with flour and ghee".[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Indian Hemp Drugs Commission (1894). Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1893–94. Vol. I: Report. Simla: Government Central Printing Office. ch. VIII, "Extent of use and the manner and forms in which the hemp drugs are consumed", paras. 415–429, pp. 154–158 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chopra, I. C.; Chopra, R. N. (1957). "The use of the cannabis drugs in India". Bulletin on Narcotics (1). United Nations: 4–29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Indian Hemp Drugs Commission (1894). "Memorandum regarding ganja and its preparations in Mysore, by Mr. J. G. McDonnell, Special Assistant Excise Commissioner in Mysore". Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1893–94. Vol. III: Appendices, Miscellaneous. Simla: Government Central Printing Office. pp. 144–145 – via Internet Archive.