Sesame-Honey Fudge with Pistachio, or Halaweh

Halaweh, (also called halawa, halwa, halva)  is a dense, sweet, nutty-tasting confection, made with many variations throughout the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and  eastern Europe. It is a fudge made with tahini, or sesame paste, mixed with sugar that has been boiled to the hard-rock stage, and then formed into a block. You can find a number of flavors of halaweh in Middle Eastern grocers, including plain, chocolate or pistachio.

I am so excited to share with you a five-minute, five-ingredient, raw and wholesome version of this treat!  This recipe is sugar-free, and  allergy sensitive, without gluten, dairy, eggs, (and can be prepared without nuts). 

To read more and find the recipe, click over to my post on the blog MidEATS. 

Also check out my related posts:

*How to Make Tahini, or Sesame Paste

*Spotlight on Tahini, or Sesame Paste

Fertility and Traditional (Middle Eastern) Diets - Part One

Did you know that Palestinians have one of the highest fertility rates in the world? 

In the last twenty years, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have averaged from 6.5 births per woman to the most recent statistics of 4.92 births per woman (World Bank) .

That's a lot of babies. 

And while there are a number of driving forces behind this number, including political, cultural and socio-economic forces, I can't help but conclude that Palestinians, as a whole, are gifted in the area of fertility.  The fact that we are able to achieve these record high fertility rates, when so many other people in other countries struggle with fertility is something that has always caused me to wonder if there is something in the water, so to speak.

In fact, when my husband and I were trying to conceive for the first time, and were unsuccessful for a year, I clung to this comforting thought:  Palestinians have one of the highest fertility rates in the world!  Surely, my body knows how to do this!  And yet, even though we were young and healthy, we struggled to conceive. 

In the end, it wasn't until I changed my diet, (and though I didn't know it at the time) moved towards a more traditional diet by adding in more full-fat products, and gained a little weight that I was able to very rapidly become pregnant.