Today I stirred halva* for the memory of my uncle, Aydın Ergenekon, who passed away 40 days ago. As in any religion or any country, we have various grieving traditions in Turkey, most of which are social practices. Making halva is one of them. After 40 days of mourning, it is time to make halva, but again you need to be patient. For the halva to turn out right, it requires constant stirring, and hence it is usually prepared by more than one person, but in this case ( lets name the condition- C-19) it was only me. We would reminiscence about the family members who were no longer with us. Once the halva is ready, it is shaped with spoons, and served immediately to family, friends and neighbors. Mothers in Anatolia insist their children deliver small plates of halva to the neighbors, who accept the steaming treat while uttering, “May your ancestors’ souls rest in peace.”

* Semolina halva is an ancient dessert with only a few ingredients: semolina flour, sugar and oil. My uncle was diabetic and it was one of the main reasons of his death, so I reduced the amount of the sugar and lightened the sweetness of halva with a bit of lemon zest, and serve it with pine nuts and a touch of cinnamon on the top.