Saad Sohail

Though Sohan halwa is made in different areas of the country; however, its variety made in Dera Ismail Khan is known for its unique flavor and taste. Having a history of more than a century and half, this confection also possesses religious and cultural background.

Even the Dera locals go to other parts of the country, they give the halwa as a gift and usually friends and acquaintances in other parts of the country also demand for the famous confection.

When the present day Dera Ismail Khan city was built at its current location, its population stood at about 35,000 people. About 18,000 of them were Muslims, 13,000 Hindus and the remaining 2,000 were Sikhs and Christians. Dense forests surrounded the city with the mighty River Indus in the south of the city.

Due to abundant greenery, fodder for cattle was available free of cost due to this pure milk was also in abundance in Dera. Local Muslims considered it a taboo to sell the milk and instead give it free to the needy; however, Hindus used to sell it and they also owned confectioneries in the city. On the other hand, their desserts and confections were popular in many parts of the sub-continent.

The abundance of milk also led to creation of new varieties of desserts and sweets. Haji Ansar Abbbas, who runs an old Sohan halwa joint in the city, said that there were many tales about the origins of this confection.

“One of these legends states that a local confectioner Sohan Lal, cooked milk into khoya or curd and cooked it with the wheat sprouts of golden color called soni, which later come to be known as Sohan halwa,” he said.

Still many women in Dere are attached with the soni making business for the Sohan halwa. They grow wheat sprouts at their home, dry them and sell the grinded flour to the local confectioners.

These sprouts are said to be energy and mineral filled alkaloids and its juice is said to be very popular in the west.

Over the period many new varieties of the Sohan halwa also emerged as the confection travelled far and wide.

Mr Abbas said that his grandfather Allah Baksh started making Sohan halwa and his blind grandmother used to help her husband in making the confection. “My grandpa experimented with the halwa like impact of cold, summer and other things,” he said.

In the past, there was a single variety of Sohan halwa; however, with the passage of time other versions like poppy seed, peanut, coconut, almond, walnut, ghee and sugar free versions were also started to be made.

Ingredients required for halwa include milk, khoya, soni, fine flour, sugar and ghee. In addition to this, a halwa made of dry fruits is made in large quantities in Dera and sent to all parts of the country.

A pan of halwa weighing around 20 kilograms takes two hours to cook while it takes an hour to make six to seven kgs of the confection.

The confectioners told TNN that they were facing problems due to the absence of natural gas and it cost too much to use firewood to cook the halwa. In addition to this, ghee and sugar prices were also impacting their business. “Sugar price has jumped to Rs 100 from Rs 60 while ghee prices have surged to Rs 450 from Rs 250,” a trader said.

Sohan halwa prices range from Rs 350 to Rs 750 per kg in Dera Ismail Khan while Multani Sohan halwa costs Rs 500 to Rs 900 per kg.

The traders are of the view that bringing prices of both cities halwas at par will benefit the confectioners of Dera Ismail Khan.

They said that the government also needs to take steps to promote the confectionery industry to make it able to earn foreign exchange.

Besides, they said that the KP government and district should arrange exhibitions to promote the halwa and confectioners can also be trained on how to export their produce.