Halva (noun.) and halvah are two different types of deserts. Halva made in the Indian subcontinent is essentially a dense but soft porridge made from semolina, ghee, and sugar spiked with cashew nuts and raisins. Halvah is Persian or Arabic semisolid fudge, and in Persian language, Halvah means a sweet.
Similar dishes can be found in Greece and Turkey where it is made with semolina and honey. Israelis’ make it with sesame base. Sesame is native to Africa and was imported into the Middle East through Egypt. Later it was grown in the Middle East.
In India ghee, sugar or jaggery are cooked in some form of flour and hydrated to get a thick and creamy dish that is called halva. There are many different types of halva made from different ingredients like lentils (moong daal, gram flour (Besan), wheat flour (atta), vegetables (carrot & bottle gourd) and vermicelli noodle halva.
It is a delicious Indian dessert having a pudding-like texture. The most common and simplest is the sooji ka halwa ("made with semolina") that is simple yet very satisfying dessert.