BRISTOL, Vt. (WCAX) - Sweet, salty, nutty and rich: halvah is many things, including locally made, thanks to Holy Halvah in Bristol.

“Halvah is an old food. It comes out of the Middle East, the Balkans,” Holy Halvah owner Rebecca Freedner said. “It is primarily sesame-based, though there are some recipes that don’t use sesame at all.”

In their commercial kitchen, the ancient food is made with a 21st-century twist. Freedner is leading the charge.

“This is a food that I grew up eating,” Freedner recounted. “As my palate matured, I realized it was dry. I didn’t like the ingredients that I was finding in the supermarkets.”

And, she says, if you can find halvah in stores, it’s often made with sugar, corn syrup or honey.

“So, it’s one of those typical stories of I decided to try and make

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