Multani Sohan Halwa - Sweetmeats of Pakistan

A halwa is essentially a traditional sweet dessert made in West and South Asia. The word 'halwa' is derived from the Arabic word ‘Hulw’, meaning sweet.

While there are many claims of the origins of halwa, dating from the 12th to 15th century, the first written reference to the sweet dessert was made in the 13th century Arabic recipe book “Kitab al-Tabikh” (The Book of Dishes) written by Muḥammad Ibn al-Ḥasan Ibn al-Karīm, which mentions eight varieties of halwa.

Halwa cannot be relegated to just one country or culture. Throughout history, it has been cooked and consumed in Persia, Egypt, Turkey and India for centuries.

Origin stories of sohan halwa have several legends behind it. A favorite is purported to be a successful experiment by a Hindu confectioner named Sohan, who accidentally bought stale milk and instead of discarding it, decided to use it.

He boiled the milk and as it started to thicken, Sohan added wheat flour to further thicken the mixture and added sugar to sweeten it. This accidental dessert was so delicious that he started selling it and soon the popularity of the sohan halwa reached the court of Deewan Sawan Mal, Multan’s governor of that era whose approval made the halwa even more popular.

Other stories depict that Deewan Sawan Mal himself was the inventor of the sohan halwa. Whether the story is true or not, sohan halwa was created in Multan.

There has been no looking back since and now Hafiz Ahmed Din’s grandson Mr. Khalil looks after the family legacy.

According to Mr. Khalil, the secret behind the success of their product lies in the pure ingredients they procure and the painstaking cooking process that follows.

This includes three types of flour - a sprouted wheat (locally known as sabz maida), regular flour (maida) and wheat flour (locally known as gandum ka aata).

These flours are mixed with milk.

They are then stirred continuously on a stove with a bamboo trowel - locally known as a khurphi - until the mixture thickens.

The continuous stirring is done in droves.

The mixture thickens, which normally takes 7-8 hours.

After the sugar is added and the mixture has dried, the halwa is taken off the heat.

Clarified butter (ghee) is mixed in.

Toppings of choice are layered on top and allowed to set for 3-4 hours in metal trays known as thaali's.

Sohan Halwa with toppings ready to be packed.

Whenever visitors and tourists pass through Multan, buying sohan halwa as a gift for friends and relatives back home is a norm.

Although there are many different Sohan Halwa brands in Multan, Hafiz Sohan Halwa remains the most sought after by visitors and locals alike.