Halwa - the national dessert
The sweet dish "halwa" is the national dessert of Oman. Today it's mostly produced in factories.
In Arabic "halwa" means sweet. No surprise as the ingredients are concentrated butter, caramelized sugar, almonds and farina and the flavour refined with saffron, cardamon and rose water.
In smaller towns there is still the occasional halwa-cook to be found, but in Barka there is a big factory. It produces all kinds of grades which vary extremely in price, colour and taste.
The tough mass is cooked for many hours above a log fire in a big copper bowl.
At the end of the meal you perfume your hands with rose water or another scented water and drink coffee before taking your leave.
Georg Popp
What makes this travel guide so special? This book is a product of the long-term personal friendship between the authors, Mr Georg Popp and Mr Juma Al-Maskari and their continuing fascination with the Sultanate of Oman. Combining their insights from European and Omani perspectives, they have produced a guide which is as much about culture and history as it is a practical guide for planning your itinerary.
