Made in Brooklyn

I wanted to like the Halvah bar. It's a Turkish confection, I'm told. But my initial reaction upon opening the package was, "Ew!"



The Marble Halvah bar looks gray and mottled and feels oily. But I gave myself a mini pep-talk and took my first bite. "Oh, it's not so bad," I told myself (which is hardly praise). I got a little chocolate flavor on my tongue and an intriguing rich oiliness (the sesame and vegetable oil in the bar, no doubt). The texture is flaky and the bar melts as it is chewed.



Then, however, the taste thickened and spread through my mouth, filling it with a kind of forgot-to-brush-my-teeth-last-night bitterness and the tang of old grease. My second bite was much less tolerable. The aftertaste kills the Halvah bar experience for me. Third bite? I was sad.

My snacking partner said, "I wouldn't say the flavor is evil, but it's not as good as the texture. The aftermath is smoky and sinister, like a party you're at and you think you're enjoying but when you leave you realize you smell like bar smoke."

Yeah, that.