Omani Halwa has a unique taste and texture, and is a key aspect of hospitality in any home in Oman. Priyanka Sacheti meets one of the most famous Omani halwa makers near Muscat to find out what makes it so special.
It''s a little before seven on a hot Thursday morning. Al Amirat Seih Dhabi village, near Muscat, is yet to wake up when we pull up before Ahmad Mohammad Khalid Said al Barwani's halwa establishment.
Even at this early hour I am surprised to see that the place is buzzing with activity. As if answering the question that was taking shape in my mind, Ahmad says that he and his staff in fact started a little late today because they were awaiting our arrival. Usually, it seems, they begin work at dawn.
Any particular reason, I ask.
"There are two,'' says the genial gentleman. "First, halwa is cooked over extremely hot temperatures so it is important to start at a time when the day is relatively cooler.
"The second reason is that preparing halwa is a time-consuming process, taking about 3-4 hours. Some customers like to enjoy a piece in the early afternoon, so we have to be prepared for them."
As if to validate this last statement, a car honks impatiently outside his store and Ahmad's son steps out with a box of saffron halwa, returning with a clutch of magenta-hued one-riyal notes. "These early birds will get yesterday's leftovers," Ahmad says.
Building on a tradition
The two traditional Omani halwa varieties are black and saffron, Ahmad explains, before showing us around his establishment. The basic ingredients are unrefined brown sugar, starch, ghee (clarified butter), rosewater, spices, nuts and saffron.
The brown sugar is purchased from the interior towns of Nizwa or Bahla, a small village near Nizwa. The halwa cooking process entails boiling away the sugar until it is devoid of impurities.
The other ingredients are then added to the mixture. If you think the taste of this semi-solid, gelatinous preparation is close to that of the famed Turkish Delight, Ahmad will disagree vehemently.
Omani halwa is Omani halwa, he will tell you. He also firmly believes that Omani halwa's preparation, taste and texture are patently unlike its culinary alter ego from the Subcontinent. The ingredients used in the preparation of that halwa are different, he says.
Full house
The compact four-room cooking-storing-selling building makes optimum use of space. The front room functions as the shop where the final produce is displayed and sold; the central room doubles as a storeroom and houses a heating container, which keeps the halwa warm.
The container also serves to artificially dehydrate nuts (as opposed to them being sun-dried).
One worker is patiently splicing almonds, which will eventually be added to the halwa.
The next, slightly smaller room, acts as a general larder for halwa ingredients and also contains a deep-freezer where rosewater is stored.
The kitchen where this exotic dessert is prepared is situated at the rear end of the establishment.
A narrow, high-ceilinged room with small windows and exhaust fans positioned high up the walls, it has three deep copper cauldrons set inside a raised concrete platform running along the breadth of the room. Today, however, only two cauldrons are in use.
Shades of sweet
"We are making black halwa today. There are two varieties within the black halwa itself. The difference being a different starch in the two varieties," Ahmad explains.
"Each cauldron is manned by two people who sit across from each other; one continuously stirs with a huge oar-like ladle while the other scrapes off any sugar that adheres to the sides of the cauldron with a spatula.
"Continuous stirring is the key because otherwise the mixture would set and congeal prematurely."
The task is obviously rigorous because the two men regularly switch positions to avoid exhaustion.
The delicious fragrance of warming sugar to a certain extent alleviates the overwhelming heat within the room. "In olden times, halwa was cooked over natural wood but we now use gas and kerosene," Ahmad says.
"The temperature ranges between 250 and 265°C," he adds, as if reading my thoughts.
We return to the retail section of the establishment where Ahmad continues to talk about what is obviously his passion: halwa making. The smell of cooking sugar accompanies our conversation, infusing the air with a palpable, almost edible texture.
Ahmad periodically interrupts the conversation to visit the kitchen to ensure that the preparation is going smoothly. At one point he even hops on to the platform, takes over the ladle from one of the staff and stirs the cauldron.
"Halwa was originally prepared in Muscat, Batinah (coastal) and Dakhiliya (interior) regions although it is now consumed and enjoyed all over the Sultanate.
"It is a purely Omani tradition: guests will always be offered dates and halwa as part of hospitality in any Omani home. It is served during weddings and special occasions as well as exchanged as gifts during Eid. In fact, only halwa is served during Eid," he says.
The glass-fronted display cases in the shop area contain pots of halwa, garnished with slivered almonds.
"Halwa can be stored for many months, whether at room temperature or frozen. However, it is important that it be kept uncovered for a day after it has been freshly cooked, else it will spoil immediately."
When it all began ...
Ahmad was born and brought up in Zanzibar although his parents hailed from the village of Dreez, about 220 km from Muscat.
"My family returned to Oman in 1970 (from Zanzibar) and I started working with British Petroleum (BP). In 1991, while visiting my cousin, Masood Hilal Said al Barwani, who resided in Buraimi and was running a halwa shop there, he suggested that I should try my hand at the halwa business as well.
"I decided to explore the idea and began working towards setting it up in Muscat. For the next four years, I was working in BP and establishing my business simultaneously. In 1995, I quit my job and decided to concentrate on my business full time."
Ahmad is particular about maintaining the authentic taste by ensuring that he uses high quality ingredients. "I cannot afford to compromise on the raw materials simply because I cannot compromise on the quality of my halwa," he remarks .
"After all, good quality will ensure that my patrons return for more!" It is obviously paying off because Ahmad is called on to supply his halwa during most special occasions, such as weddings and parties in the area.
It knows no boundaries
Halwa is extremely popular with the expatriate population of the country as well. "European customers like to have it with their coffee," he says.
In fact one of Ahmad's American customers, a long-time resident of Oman, once admitted to him that he had to have a piece of it after lunch every day. Without it he felt his meal was incomplete.
Ahmad's halwa was even served at some high-level public functions. Halwa enjoys popularity across the Arabian Sea as well.
"Many of my Sri Lankan customers tell me that halwa is a synonym for Oman and that halwa is sold in Sri Lanka under the name of 'Muscat'. In fact, halwa itself is referred to as Muscat, rather than halwa!" he laughs.
Customers from the UK, United States and Australia purchase the halwa from him to sell in their countries, he says, adding that he has a few Japanese clients who import the halwa from him.
"I have even opened a halwa factory in Kuwait along with a Kuwaiti partner," he says.
When it is time for us to leave, Ahmad presses a piece of freshly prepared halwa into my hands. It is warm and I promptly pop it into my mouth. The flavours are absolutely delectable - a mix of honey, and sugar and something inexplicably soft and nice.
As I emerge from his shop, a taxi grinds to a halt outside Ahmad's shop. The driver hands over a slip of paper to Ahmad who shouts out the order to his staff. Within moments, pots of halwa are brought out, foil wrapped and placed in plastic bags.
"What's the occasion?" I ask Ahmad.
"He is celebrating his son's first birthday," Ahmad tells us.
"No cake, only halwa?" I ask.
He smiles. "No cake. In Oman, there is only halwa."
