which delicacy made of honey, sesame seeds, nuts, rose water and
saffron is of middle estern origin, the Arabic word meaning sweetmeat

Hi bracklaman

Thanks for asking a question which conjures up such wonderful aromas. 
Halva is the delicacy you're thinking of but it can be made and
flavored in all kinds of different ways.

In the West halva is usually the name of a Greek or Middle-Eastern
sesame and honey/glucose sweet easily available in delicatessens.

But halva/halwa/halwah/chalva is also a general name for sweetmeats in
India and the Middle East; some varieties do contain nuts, rosewater
and/or saffron.
See, for example, the recipe for pumpkin halva at:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Woods/9843/phalva8.html

'The Encyclopaedia of the Orient' site confirms that halwa is indeed
the Arabic word for 'sweets in general':
http://lexicorient.com/cgi-bin/eo-direct-frame.pl?http://i-cias.com/e.o/halwa.htm

"Halva (sometimes spelt halvah), is not to be confused with the
immense variety of Middle-Eastern and Indian sweets that go under the
generic term of halwa (or halwah)."  Just part of the mouth-watering
information you'll find in Fine Foods Digest:
http://www.finefooddigest.co.uk/articles/food_article/article-422.html

You'll find a Persian recipe with all the flavorings you mention, but
without the sesame and honey typical of the store-bought Greek type of
halva. See:
http://www.iranfood.net/News/Persian_Cuisine/halva.html

'The Many Faces of Halvah' goes into delicious detail about the many
ways of making halva and the great variety of possible ingredients. 
It also gives a description of halva's high status and grand history:
"In the 15th century, during the reign of Sultan Suleyman the
Magnificent, under whose rule (the) Topkapi Palace was greatly
expanded to accommodate a more elaborate court life, the kitchens were
rebuilt to include a structure with six domes called the Helvahane, or
House of Helva, where, among other things, numerous varieties of
halvah were made. By the 17th century, the elite of Istanbul were
holding elaborate dinners called Helva suppers, perhaps not unlike the
symposia of the ancient Greeks. At these Helva dinners, the sweet was
served as a kind of intermezzo between sessions of discussion and
entertainment. In some parts of Anatolia to this day helva suppers are
still held."
http://www.gourmed.gr/mediterranean-diet/show.asp?mcid=30   

You'll find lots more recipes on a Google search.
Either click on:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=halva+OR+halwa+OR+halwah+OR+chalva+recipe
or type 'halva OR halwa OR halwah OR chalva recipe' into the box by
the 'Google search' button.

Hope this is what you wanted.  Even if you don't want to make your
own, enjoy the scents and flavors in the descriptions.  Let me know if
anything needs clarification.






search strategy:
personal knowledge and
middle-eastern sweetmeat halva recipe Arabic

Thanks for your researches which have given me a lot of further links as well.