Halva smells like play-dough? a common ingredient?

I tried a Halva (gound sesame and sugar kind of sesame marzipan) of a kind I didn't try before, and I find it smells like Play-dough. My wife says that when she makes Play-dough from flour it also has the 'Play-dough' smell. Could there be a common ingredient to the two? Maybe cream of tartar? Thanks!

flour pastry

Best Answer

Are you sure it was a sesame based Halva? Halva generally falls in to two wide varieties, one flour based and the other nut based. I would assume that the smell of play-dough comes from the flour. So it's possible you had a flour based one.

BTW, it's wikipedia that's defining Tahini as being nut based, I'm not so sure about that classification myself.

Pictures about "Halva smells like play-dough? a common ingredient?"

Halva smells like play-dough? a common ingredient? - Like Printed on Brown Wooden Scrabble

Halva smells like play-dough? a common ingredient? - Positive senior man in eyeglasses showing thumbs up and looking at camera

Halva smells like play-dough? a common ingredient? - Side view of housewife wearing apron standing at table in cozy kitchen and preparing dough for baking while using rolling pin

What does halva smell like?

Regardless of what form you find it in, halva smells like sesame, but only ever so slightly. Its texture can vary from near flaky to totally chewy, depending on whether it is fresh and how it is packaged.

Why do I smell Play Doh when there is none?

Phantom Smells You Might Experience According to Dr. Ronald DeVere of the American Academy of Neurology, olfactory hallucinations most often occur with unpleasant odors, so it makes sense that your mind would pick this smell to play tricks on you.

Why does my bread smell like play dough?

With your nose. Rancid foods have the same look and texture as when they were purchased, but their smell and taste have changed. The odour is akin to wet cardboard, oil paint, wood varnish or play dough.

Does Play Doh have corn?

Masa (Corn Flour) Play DoughMasa Playdough is made from masa harina (corn flour, used to make tortillas), rather than all-purpose flour. The dough has a grainy texture to it, and I'd encourage you to try it if you live near a Mexican market, where masa harina is easy to find.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: ANTONI SHKRABA production, Pixabay, Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio