Dessert

Hallongrotta is the name for Swedish cookies which have been prepared and consumed at least since the 1800s, at Swedish coffee parties called kafferep. The cookies are typically made with butter, flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla, and raspberry jam, which goes in the indentation (usually made with one's thumb) in the middle of each cookie. The name hallongrotta means raspberry cave, and in the United States, these tiny treats are better known as thumbprint cookies. It is recommended to serve them with tea, coffee, or milk on the side.

Hallongrotta

The refreshing halo-halo (lit. mix-mix) is a summer dessert or a snack of mixed fruit and beans, topped with finely crushed ice and either milk or ice cream. Some of the most common halo-halo ingredients include bananas, jackfruit, coconut, sweet potatoes, red mung beans, chickpeas, sugar palm fruit, purple yam jam, leche flan, and - in recent times - even sweet corn or corn crisps. Originally, halo-halo desserts were sold by Japanese vendors in halo-halo parlors or at numerous street stalls before the occupation of the Philippines in the 1940s. In fact, this Filipino specialty is often said to have been inspired by a shaved-ice cooler called anmitsu, another Japanese summer drink.

Halo-Halo

Halva ardeh is a sweet, dense Iranian paste that is usually prepared with a base of sugar and ground sesame or tahini. The mixture is occasionally studded with pistachios, but it is traditionally merely topped with pistachio slivers. Though it can be enjoyed as a sweet snack, halva ardeh is a common breakfast staple and is occasionally served with bread on the side. This classic confectionery item should not be mistaken with other halva varieties that can be prepared with different combinations of flour, lentils, butter, nuts, rose water, and saffron.

Halva ardeh

Flour, sugar syrup, and mutton fat are the key ingredients in the traditional Tajik dessert known as halvaitar. This sweet treat involves mixing flour with melted mutton fat. The combination is cooked until light brown, and then combined with sugar syrup. The resulting liquid flour halva is either added to small serving bowls or poured onto plates and cut into pieces when chilled. A variation of the traditional Middle Eastern treat known as halva, halvaitar is often flavored with vanilla and enhanced with crushed nuts such as walnuts, almonds, or pistachios.

Halvaitar

Halvapita is a traditional dessert made with simple and few ingredients, namely wheat flour and jabukov pekmez, a type of preserve made with only apple juice. The flour is first cooked with water and a bit of jabukov pekmez. The resulting paste is spread into a baking pan and baked, then covered with jabukov pekmez.

Halvapita

This vibrant halva variety is prepared with a base of shredded carrots, rice flour, butter, sugar, and various flavorings and spices such as saffron, rose water, cinnamon, or cardamom. Carrot halva can be served on a large plate and shared as a communal meal, but since the base is incredibly pliable, it can be molded and shaped into various other forms and served as a single portion. It can be enjoyed well-chilled or lukewarm, and it is usually garnished with pistachios, walnuts, or ground cinnamon.

Halva ye havij

Greece

Hamalia are a traditional sweet treat from the island of Skopelos in Greece. They are almond-based pastries, similar to marzipan, and are often made to celebrate special occasions such as weddings or festivals. The main ingredients of hamalia include crushed almonds, sugar, and rosewater, which gives them a delicate flavor and aroma. The mixture is formed into small, crescent-shaped or oval pieces and sometimes dusted with powdered sugar before serving.

Hamalia

Hamantashen are traditional cookies with Ashkenazi Jewish origins. The cookies are filled with ingredients such as poppy seeds, apricots, raisins, lekvar prune jam, nuts, dates, raspberries, apples, cherries, figs, chocolate, or halva, and they're shaped into triangles because the cookies are especially popular during Purim, a Jewish holiday. The shape is a reference to Haman (the villain in the Purim story) and his triangular hat or his ears, depending on who you ask. The dough is usually made with a combination of eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. It's sometimes enriched with vanilla and orange zest.

Hamantash

Translated as a flower petal mochi, hanabiramochi is a traditional mochi variety that consists of a thinly rolled, round rice cake that is folded around bean paste. Each cake also has a thin stalk of burdock root (gobo) that sticks from the sides, while the paste often has a subtle pink hue that is supposed to show through the cake. Sometimes, the paste can be wrapped in another layer of pink-colored mochi. The history of hanabiramochi dates back to the Meiji era, and through time, they became commonly associated with New Year. Nowadays, they are traditionally served as a part of the first tea ceremony of the year (Hatsugama). Each element carries specific symbolism. While the pink hue represents ume blossom&mdash;a symbol of new beginnings&mdash;the burdock root is used as a symbol of longevity.

Hanabiramochi

Hanami dango are sweet mochi rice dumplings on a skewer, and each of them has a different color &ndash; pink is used to symbolize cherry blossoms, white represents the remaining snow of the past winter, and green is used as a herald of spring, representing the color of young grass. The dessert is named after a popular Japanese tradition of hanami, meaning flower viewing. It is believed that the practice dates back to the Nara Period (710-794) or Heian Period (794-1185), and nowadays it typically takes place in late March in Kyushu or mid-May in Hokkaido. It is recommended to serve hanami dango with green tea on the side.

Hanami dango

Bangladesh

Handesh is a traditional dessert originating from Sylhet region of Bangladesh and the Indian state of Assam. It&rsquo;s usually made with a combination of rice flour, wheat flour, molasses, sugar, and vegetable oil. If desired, these sweet treats can be enriched with cinnamon or cardamom. The flours are mixed with sugar, molasses, and water in order to make a thick batter. The batter is left to rest for a few hours or overnight, and it&rsquo;s then fried in oil in batches on both sides until brown and fully cooked. These dense and crisp sweet treats are typically enjoyed with a cup of tea or warm milk on the side. Handesh is especially popular during the winter, and it&rsquo;s often served at weddings.

Handesh

Hangop is an old, traditional Dutch dessert made with either yogurt or buttermilk that is left to hang in a towel, hence the name (to hang up). Once the whey drains, what remains is a rich, thick, and creamy dessert that is usually sweetened with honey or sugar, although it can be left as it is. Some people like to serve it with fresh fruit or fruit jams.

Hangop

Hanım g&ouml;beği is a traditional sweet pastry originating from Turkey. It consists of choux pastry balls that are pressed in the middle to create a dimple, then deep-fried in hot oil and soaked in sugar syrup. The name of this sweet treat means lady's navel, hence the indentation in the middle of the pastry. The dough is made with a combination of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and salt, while the syrup is made with a mixture of sugar, water, and lemon juice. The dough should be fried in oil over medium heat, and the pastry is then placed into cold syrup.

Hanım göbeği

Hausfreunde are classic German Christmas cookies. In order to make them, a few layers of crispy shortcrust pastry are covered with apricot jam and almond paste, then dipped in dark chocolate and garnished with caramelized walnuts on top. The ingredients usually include flour, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, vanilla, almond paste, dark chocolate, apricot jam, and walnut halves. Before serving, the chocolate should be left to fully set. The name of these cookies means friend of the house, probably because they are easy to prepare and keep for unexpected guests during the festive Christmas season.

Hausfreunde

Havij bastani is a delicious and unusual Iranian take on an ice cream float. This refreshing dessert combines fresh carrot juice and a scoop of ice cream, preferably vanilla-flavored or more traditional saffron-infused version. Often considered as both a beverage and a dessert, havij bastani can be sipped or eaten with a spoon. It is always served in a glass, and it is usually topped with crushed pistachios, as well as cardamom or cinnamon.

Havij bastani

Havrekjeks are traditional Norwegian oatcakes. The cookies are usually made with a combination of oats, flour, butter, milk, salt, sugar, and baker's ammonia. The butter is creamed with sugar, while the oats are mixed with flour, salt, and baker's ammonia. Both are mixed with milk in order to make a sticky dough. The dough is rolled out and rounds are then cut out with a cookie cutter. The cookies are baked until they become brown on the edges, and they're then ready to be enjoyed. It's recommended to serve havrekjeks with geitost, a soft and sweet goat's milk cheese.

Havrekjeks

Havrekniplekaker are traditional cookies originating from Norway. These lace cookies are usually made with a combination of flour, oats, milk, sugar, butter, and salt. The butter is melted and mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The mixture is spread thinly on a greased and floured cookie sheet, and each lace cookie should be spread a few inches apart from the other. The thin cookies are baked for a few minutes until done, and then left to cool down a bit before they're removed from the baking pan.

Havrekniplekaker

United Kingdom

Dark, moist, and dense, cassava cake or heavy cake hails from the Cayman Islands, where it's regarded as the unofficial national dish. This intensely sweet dessert is made with a combination of boiled coconut milk, margarine, vanilla, brown sugar, spices, and grated cassava. While grated cassava is the most popular starch in heavy cake, other grated tubers are used as well, such as sweet potatoes and yams, then there's soaked and grated dry corn, and fruits such as green pawpaw and breadfruit. This cake must be firm enough to stand up, but it should still lightly jiggle when sliced, and the texture is always a bit sticky. Cayman heavy cake should be served at room temperature, and it remains a favorite at birthdays, weddings, and similar festive occasions.

Heavy Cake

Ecuador

Helado de paila is a sorbet-like specialty that hails from Ibarra. It comes in an array of flavors, and it is made with fruit juice, ice, sugar, and sometimes fruits. All the ingredients are traditionally churned by hand inside a large bronze or copper pot (paila) that is placed on ice. Some of the most common flavorings are blackberries, soursop, coconut, passion fruit, strawberries, naranjilla, and tamarillo. Although its origin is associated with Ibarra, helado de paila is available outside its native region, but it is still mostly artisanal and hand-churned. It is said that this frozen treat was initially made with the snow from the glacier on top of the Imbabura volcano. Allegedly, Rosal&iacute;a Su&aacute;rez first collected the ice, and her descendants still keep the tradition alive and run an ice cream shop in Ibarra. Helado de paila is sold in cups or cones.

Helado de paila

Helapa is a traditional sweet treat. It's prepared with a combination of kurakkan flour, rice flour, treacle, cardamom, and grated coconut. The ingredients are cooked together and mixed until they develop a doughy consistency. The mixture is then flattened on kanda leaves, which are folded and steamed until the dough firms up. Before serving, the leaves just need to be unwrapped and helapa can be eaten. It is recommended to serve this traditional dessert with a cup of Ceylon tea.