Sohan Halwa

Among the things that Multan is known for, Sohan Halwa is a special one. Other than this, according to a Persian quote, beggars, dust, heat and graveyards are considered to be gifts of this city. Sohan Halwa being the specialty in winter and mango being the fruit of summer has given Multan its identity both at home and abroad. 

Multan, as a city has gained global fame because of these two delicacies. According to some historians, a Hindu by the name of Sohan Ram was famous in the milk selling business in the past in Multan. He used to sell the milk in mounds regularly. However, there came a day when he wasn’t able to sell a huge quantity of un-boiled milk. So, he boiled the milk in a large utensil in order to save it from getting spoiled. He then made it thicker to such a level that it converted into ‘Khoya’ in which he then mixed different dry fruits. The resulting product was Sohan Halwa. It soon gained enough fame that people named it after its creators name i.e. Sohan Halwa. On the other hand, another supposition describes that Sohan Halwa has something to do with the Sohan city of Iran due to the fact that Multan was a key trading point with Iran in the past. So, the Halwa was brought here by the traders from Iran and eventually became the identity of this city. 

The origin of the word ‘Sohan’ is a Hindi one. It translates to an item used for rubbing. In lieu of this, a slotted spoon, also called a khurpa, plays an essential role while cooking halwa, hence it is called Sohan Halwa. 

Like Multan, Sohan halwa from a few other cities of southern Punjab such as Uch Sharif, Makhdoom Aali, Bahawalpur etc. has also come to gain fame. Nonetheless, due to its popularity among people who have a sweet tooth, Sohan Halwa from Multan takes the cake from the rest by a mile.An interesting process to witness is the preparation of Sohan Halwa. It starts with mounds of milk being boiled in large utensils on huge stoves. While the milk is being boiled, a person continuously stirs the spoon in that utensil. This process takes speed as the milk gets boiled. At this point, flour is added in the milk in proportion to its weight. Afterwards, ghee and sugar are mixed together and the herculean task of cooking the halwa keeps going until its baked. In addition to different points in the city, one place to find Sohan Halwa shops is Tareen Road, when you enter Qadirabad from Chowk Fawara. A few family names pop up among Halwa lovers it comes to Sohan Halwa, including Peerzada, Hafiz Habibur Rehma, and Hafiz Abdul Wadood families. However, one needs to be wary of counterfeit shops at bus terminals, railway stations etc. which are selling Sohan Halwa using the name of famous brands of the city.