Halawet al-Mahya

Hama has a sweet of its own, and for eleven months of the year it is nowhere to be seen. Halawet al-Mahya is made only in the month of Shaban, for the night that falls in the middle of it; families in the city and the villages around it send trays to one another. You do not come across this sweet by chance — you go by the calendar.

What it is made of

The traditional version is semolina and sugar, with clarified butter and rose water worked in, coloured with food colouring and cut into diamonds. It comes in two colours, red and yellow, and both sit on the same tray. The texture comes from the semolina: not a dough but a grain that breaks up in the mouth.

The newer kinds

In recent years other versions have appeared on the counter, going by the names ghraybeh, mahshiyyeh and bashmina. The real difference between them is in the ingredient: in these newer kinds flour takes the place of semolina. If you want the traditional one, asking at the counter whether it is made with semolina is enough.

Where to find it

Hama and the country around it. During Shaban the sweet shops put it in the window, and it is also made at home and sent to neighbours and relatives. Looking for it outside that month is wasted effort, and it is not widespread in the other cities of Syria either. This sweet belongs to one place.