Ḥalwāʾ Yābisa (Dry Pulled Sugar Sweet)
Origin: Baghdad, Iraq
Source: Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Baghdādī, 1226
Ingredients
- sugar
- water
- pistachios
- saffron
- red lead (minium)
- peeled almonds
- sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar in water and boil until it sets to a hard mass.
- Turn it out onto a smooth marble slab and let its heat abate.
- Beat and pull it against a smooth-headed iron peg, throwing it on and drawing it out by hand until it whitens.
- Lay it on the slab, knead in pistachios, and cut into strips and bars.
- Optionally color with saffron or red lead, or mix in peeled almonds, sesame, or poppy seed.