Tirunelveli Halwa

The time has come to initiate the uninitiated into the world of Tirunelveli Halwa. Tirunelveli is situated in southern Tamil Nadu close to Tuticorin & Kovilpatti and its name has become synonymous with the Halwa you get here.

The halwa has been in Tirunelveli for about 300 years & in that time, its fame has spread far and wide. So much, that anyone passing through Tirunelveli is bound to buy atleast a packet of halwa.

The halwa is brown in colour & is just barely translucent. It has a very sticky texture & is high up in the list of messy food. But the taste more than makes up for it. The halwa is made from wheat & sugar. It is soaked in ghee & looks as well as feels oily. The best part about this halwa is that it melts in your mouth. So it can be enjoyed even by people without teeth. However it is very fattening & too much will put inches around your waist line. It tastes best when it is hot. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it when it has cooled down.

The halwa is available all over Tirunelveli,but a profusion of shops near the Railway station & the Nellaiappar Temple bring fame to the city. The most famous of these is the Iruttukadai (Dark Shop). Another contender is Shanti Sweets. Iruttukadai gets its name from the fact that there are no electric lights in the shop & no sign board. Business in the evenings is carried out in candle-light as it has been so, since the time the shop started.

The popularity of the halwa is evident from the fact that these shops are packed at all times of the day. I guess, people from Tirunelveli never seem to have enough of the Famous Tirunelveli Halwa.

Have a taste, and I bet you won’t too.

PS:A few people have asked me for the address of the halwa stalls. I’m adding the address on popular demand

1.Tirunelveli Iruttukadai Halwa

No 1/1-A, Madurai Road,

(Near Old bus Stand),

Tirunelveli Junction,

Tirunelveli-627001

Ph: 0462-2323330

 

 

2. Shanti Sweets

3,Central Bus Stand Buildings,

Madurai Road,

Tirunelveli-627001

 

Cheers.