Halvah (or halva) is a dense, sweet tooth-destroying confection made of sesame paste that’s enjoyed by people in the Middle East, Russia, Eastern Europe, North Africa and Central Asia. Halvah is hugely popular throughout Israel and the Jewish Diaspora, with many committed devotees right here in Boston. In typical JewishBoston.com fashion, we asked a bunch of our favorite opinionated reviewers to carefully taste and evaluate three store-bought brands and one local artisan option in a plethora of flavors, from pistachio to ginger and everything in between. (Want to try making your own? Here’s a basic recipe.)
Joyva
Joyva first produced halvah on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1907. The brand, which you can find in many supermarkets and online, is now made in Brooklyn.
“It’s very oily. Slightly unappealing and looks wet. It tastes good, though; it’s not as soggy as it looks. The marble tastes like original to me.”
—Dorina
“It’s really good. Nice, sweet taste to it. I want to say something clever, but I don’t have anything.”
—Jeff
“I had no idea the Deepwater Horizon oil spill took place in this batch of halvah.”
—Miriam
“It looks awful, but it tastes OK. It’s the halvah you eat in the dark.”
—Elyse
Joyva Chocolate Covered Halvah
“I like it. I like anything wrapped in chocolate. Not too rich or sweet; this is my speed. This is probably the one I would buy.”
—Matt
“This one looks weird. It looks like a portable candy bar. It looks like a chocolate-covered ice cream bar. It’s good but I taste the chocolate more than I taste the halvah. It’s really sweet. The chocolate is milky and smooth—I don’t mind it. Most halvah isn’t portable. I’ve never walked into a store and thought, I should buy a bar of halvah, but maybe now that I know….”
—Dorina
“It tastes kind of like the way I think of halvah, which is mostly sesame. Who thought this was candy? And yet it’s hard to stop eating it! I don’t know if I like it, but I keep eating it.”
—Gilly
“This is really good. The chocolate cuts the aftertaste I don’t like about halvah. Very sweet, very much like candy. I’d eat that, even if you didn’t force me to.”
—Dan
“It’s just unnecessary. The taste of the halvah is perfectly fine, but the chocolate is just an interference.”
—Elyse
“I think it has an earthier flavor. It’s original sesame without anything fancy added.”
—Julie
“It’s sweet sand.”
—Dara
“I do like that this isn’t oily. This is good, but the dominant flavor is just sugar. If I close my eyes, I wouldn’t know the first ingredient was sesame.”
—Dan
“This is quite crumbly in texture. Classic, delicious halvah. Melts in your mouth, but a touch dry.”
—Becca
Achva
Achva, a leading manufacturer of halvah in Israel, was established in 1929 and carries on the halvah production techniques of the company’s Turkish, Greek and Russian immigrant founders.
“It’s supposed to be marbled? This is much more solid. Not as tasty, and there’s virtually no difference between the chocolate and the vanilla side.”
—Julie
“These flavors are not together. It’s approximately 70 percent vanilla and 30 percent chocolate. It’s not even in half; it’s random. I’m doing separate bites. It has a weird beginning taste—very pasty, coats your mouth, but the aftertaste is pleasant vanilla. I like the chocolate more, but it’s only 30 percent of this container so I’d just buy a regular chocolate container next time. If you are having a party and want half and half, this is not the one to get.”
—Dorina
“They skimped on the chocolate here, man. I want some of both in my serving, but that’s not going to happen. It’s smooth and sweet though! I like it. It’s got the sesame aftertaste, but for a moment you could actually believe it was candy.”
—Gilly
“I like that the pistachio cuts the sweetness, but the texture is just a little too gummy.”
—Elyse
“It’s thicker and it isn’t melting in my mouth. Too chewy.”
—Matt
“Oh, now we are getting out there. There are pistachios in it, but I wouldn’t call it pistachio halvah. Disappointing. Needs more pistachio. Also, I feel it should be green.”
—Gilly
“This is by far my favorite. Has a nice traditional halvah taste, but it mixes well with the pistachio. The pistachios are nicely spread throughout the halvah.”
—Dorina
“It looks like mud. Ooh, I like the texture. It’s good. It’s just a little sweet; not too sweet. It tastes like it looks. It looks like mud and the texture feels like mud—delicious mud.”
—Matty
“It doesn’t look good, but it isn’t bad; I like the texture. It’s pretty good!”
—Hannah
“This tastes a bit sandier, almost like I’m eating wet sand on the beach.”
—Jeff
“This is a little off-putting, like I’m about to try expired peanut butter. It’s very wet. But it’s not bad and has a great flavor; it’s just way oilier than the others. Melts easier in your mouth. This is probably my favorite one so far. And I’m not an organic person; the more pesticides, the better!”
—Becca
“This looks like gefilte fish. It has a nice, chewy consistency, almost like I could spread it on a piece of bread.”
—Matt
“You do get the benefit of having sesame oil. You want one thing, but you get two products! It’s OK, but why does halvah need to be organic?”
—Elyse
“No flavor. I would call it original, not vanilla.”
—Hannah
“I don’t taste vanilla. Sesame and vanilla had a punching match and sesame wins.”
—Gilly
“This is fake vanilla. No vanilla was harmed in the making of this not-very-good product. Why is fake vanilla kosher?”
—Dan
“Hal-blah.”
—Miriam
“I’m going in offended. I’m already mad about what this brand did to vanilla. This is legitimately horrible. So bitter. I need water. [Reads label.] Foaming agent? What the hell are they feeding Israeli children?!”
—Dan
“Very hard. Very crumbly. Uh, no. It’s crunchy in the wrong way.”
—Matty
“This is exciting! It looks like chocolate-chip halvah. OK, so it’s a little hard to chisel out of the container. Well, that’s a letdown. The main flavor is bland, with a tiny bit of cocoa bean—like you accidentally ate a coffee bean or something gritty. And yet I’m still picking at it. Yeah, someone just waved some chocolate near this halvah.”
—Gilly
“The actual cocoa bean isn’t terrible, but overall it’s terrible.”
—Kali
“The chocolate overcomes the sesame. The chocolate kind of sneaks up and then you’re sorry that it’s there.”
—Elyse
“Impossible to cut. I like the way it looks; it feels very raw and natural. [Takes bite.] I hate it. Fake chocolate, really nasty aftertaste.”
—Dorina
Sadaf
Sadaf is a family company that first opened in Los Angeles in 1982, selling Mediterranean, kosher and specialty foods. Their halvah is produced in Israel and distributed around the world.
“It tastes like sesame paste, but not in a good way.”
—Kali
“It’s almost too sweet on the aftertaste. The first bite is dull and then gets really sweet.”
—Jeff
“Oh, it gets better after the initial taste; it gets better when it melts a little bit. It doesn’t taste vanilla to me.”
—Julie
“No taste. It’s like somebody vacuumed out the taste. Bad aftertaste.”
—Elyse
“I like how it looks like ice cream. There’s a burst of chocolate at the end.”
—Matt
“It’s nicely 50-50 vanilla and chocolate, and they are intertwined the way marble is supposed to be.”
—Dorina
“It tastes faintly like chocolate cement.”
—Kali
“This is not marble—it’s blobbed! This is on the dry side; it’s not quite sweet enough. I don’t taste a difference between the chocolate and vanilla bits.”
—Gilly
“I like how this one looks with the nuts in it. It has some texture. It has more flavor.”
—Hannah
“This has a very subtle pistachio flavor, and it’s creamy if you are into that kind of halvah.”
—Dara
“Not bad! This one has more actual pistachio flavor than the other brand. Not as dry!”
—Gilly
“This is way more pistachio! WAY MORE! Nope. The halvah itself actually tastes like silly putty. No sesame flavor. Nope. No.”
—Becca
“Very balanced flavor. I like the presentation. As a kid we always got halvah in blocks, so it takes me back to my childhood.”
—Dorina
“No. This is disrespectful.”
—Miriam
“This looks like ice cream! It’s making me happy. [Tastes.] Where did the sweetness go?! Not my favorite.”
—Matt
Halvah Heaven
Halvah Heaven is a Massachusetts company making small-batch, gluten-free, vegan halvah in lots of unique flavors, and providing new takes on traditional halvah flavors. Read our interview with the creator here.
“Oooh, really flakey and light. And creamy! I don’t like halvah but this one is good!”
—Hannah
“It’s in the shape of a bar, but in a bag. This has artisanal written all over it. But it’s too sweet for me.”
—Dorina
“Not bad. Subtle, but it adds a certain sweetness that’s nice. It still tastes like halvah; it’s not pretending to be something else. This elevates the basic halvah without it being in your face.”
—Gilly
“Too sticky. Like a caramel. Not crazy about it.”
—Jeff
“I don’t mind it! It tastes like peanut butter.”
—Kali
“Mmm! It does have a vegan feel! This is tasty.”
—Matt
“Smells like gingerbread! No. It’s spiced. It’s quite spiced.”
—Hannah
“It’s, um, different. I like it. It’s a mild spice and it has a good texture. Consistency is important to me in halvah. It should be flakey!”
—Julie
“It smells like getting attacked by Christmas. Some parts are way too creamy; some parts are super crunchy and caramelized.”
—Dorina
“Strong. It has anise and I can’t taste anything else.”
—Becca
“This tastes like…Marco Polo’s life.”
—Miriam
“Plain. Stuck to my teeth. Comparatively tame.”
—Craig
“I like it. I think the spices actually add something rather than masking the taste of the sesame.”
—Elyse
“I like the subtle maple! Goes well with the sesame. Forms flakes in your mouth for maximum packing power. Tastes like New England halvah! OMG, they should make a Dunkin’ Donuts flavor!”
—Gilly
“This smells good. It’s like maple bacon. I’m excited for this one. [Tastes.] It’s kind of underwhelming. Nah.”
—Matty
“Ooh, this is really good. Pretty sweet, like straight-up candy.”
—Dan
“I was excited about it, and it’s nothing.”
—Hannah
“I would totally put this on some waffles.”
—Miriam
“It’s not overwhelmingly floral, which is nice. But it’s not overwhelmingly flavorful, either.”
—Gilly
“The texture is not as great, but the flavor is interesting. I don’t think it tastes like honey or rose, it’s just pleasantly sweet.”
—Matty
“I don’t know. It’s like pure sugar. Granulated sugar. Not the texture, but the flavor. I can’t decide if it’s ew or not.”
—Hannah
“Very chewy. The rose is super subtle, but if your preference is chewy this is the one.”
—Dara
“Really good. I thought it was going to be super sweet but it’s not. These guys do good work. Really well balanced and just good.”
—Dan
“I don’t like it. Got a bad breath kind of thing to it. Maybe a bathroom product.”
—Matt
“More ginger than lemon; has a little zing to it! Makes my tongue dance a little bit!”
—Gilly
“It smells like those organic cleaners. It smells like cleaning product. Ooh, a lot of ginger. Why would you eat that? I miss the vanilla bean!”
—Matty
“Good consistency; I can taste the lemon more than the ginger but the ginger kind of comes at the end. It’s good. It’s not as strong flavor-wise as the others.”
—Julie
“Smells like lime. I took too much. It burns! The color is from the ginger, not from the tahini. Don’t be fooled!”
—Dorina
“Not my favorite flavor; more lemon than ginger, for which I’m grateful. Very lemony. Tastes like herbal tea smells.”
—Dan
Halvah Heaven Fiore di Sicilia
“Ooh! The citrus hits you first and then paves the way for the halvah. Really strong. It’s like halvah being hugged by citrus! I would buy this!”
—Gilly
“I really enjoy the texture, but it feels like mixing two desserts, like lemon drops melted onto halvah.”
—Dara
“Literal Froot Loops! I don’t like the texture though.”
—Hannah
“Yep, Froot Loops. Not that we recommend substituting Froot Loops for halvah.”
—Dorina
“OK, I $%*&ing love this. I can really taste the lemon, which I love, and it has a nice orange on the exhale. Lovely! Still halvah but with a little somethin’ special!”
—Miriam
“Tastes like an orange Lifesaver.”
—Kali
“No. Very no. It almost has an alcohol-y sense without the benefit of having alcohol.”
—Elyse
“I’m already biased in favor of it. It’s a lot of espresso flavor coming through, a lot. I like it a lot. I’m a big fan. Totally works for me. It tastes like coffee ice cream to me.”
—Dan
“It’s like there’s beans in here; you can see it. It smells like coffee. I like it, but I like coffee-flavored things. If you can get over the look of it, it tastes pretty great.”
—Dorina
“I like this one. The consistency is good; it melts in my mouth a little easier.”
—Jeff
“That is a lot of espresso. Super dry. It can get stuck on the roof of your mouth.”
—Dara
“That popped right away. I like it! But I like coffee taste. I don’t need fruit in my halvah—give me more of this.”
—Matt
“I love that smell. It smells like stollen, German Christmas bread. I like it a lot. It’s sweet, but the cardamom has a little bit of pepperiness. I would recommend it if you like cardamom.”
—Matty
“It smells weird. I don’t think I like the cardamom. I like the orange in it.”
—Hannah
“Flavor-wise, I think they win. They know how to do flavor in halvah. I like this! It’s still sticking in my teeth.”
—Julie
“Tastes like soap.”
—Dara
“Tastes exotic. Don’t get much of the orange flavor coming through, but I feel like I should be in a tent in the Middle East while I eat it.”
—Gilly
“Oh, that’s really strong. It’s good licorice flavor, not fake licorice. There’s going to be an aftertaste for a while.”
—Julie
“Wow, that is a strong smell. It’s way more anise than licorice. Boy, that has the spice punch, so I would recommend small servings. I can’t decide if I want another bite or not! On its own, it’s a bit much.”
—Gilly
“I like the smell, but it tastes like some variety of Softsoap smells. Not like soap, like it tastes like soap smells. Not a good blend. Those two flavors are not meant to be together. I like each flavor individually but not together. That’s an arranged marriage that isn’t working out.”
—Dan
“Strong but delicious! I love anise. Tastes like ouzo or arak.”
—Craig
“Tastes like Jager in halvah form. Exactly like it!”
—Jeff