Hassa – Our Family’s Recipe for Christenings

12 years ago

Our family
is happy to announce the start of a new generation! Our nephew and his wife had
a darling baby boy recently, and we just returned from attending his christening.

Being strong
on tradition, my sister and I prepared a recipe that’s always been served
at family christenings … hassa. I’ve written about – and posted – this recipe
before but did not have a recipe photo to attach.

Sis and I worked as a long-distance team to prepare the hassa. I provided the powdered chick peas and spices (from FL), and my sister got the candied ingredients from her favorite Middle Eastern store in NJ. Once we joined forces in Washington, DC, we combined our ingredients to create the final product.

Hassa

Hassa

Ingredients:

1 lb. unsalted chick peas, roasted and ground
into a powder*

1/3 lb. candy-covered chick peas (set some
aside for decoration) *

1/3 lb. candy-covered almonds (set some aside
for decoration) *

1/4 lb. candy-covered fennel or anise seeds *

Candy-covered ingredients

dash nutmeg

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground anise seed

½ tsp. ground fennel seed

dash ground cardamom*

½ cup powdered sugar

* The starred ingredients can be found in most
Middle Eastern grocery stores.

Directions:

Grinding chick peas into a powder

1. Ground
chick peas in a blender or food processor. Sift and re-grind any coarse pieces
until powdery. Place in a large bowl.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the
powdered chick peas, and mix thoroughly.

Sifting and regrinding chick peas

3. Top with candies that were set aside for decoration.

NOTE: Spices can be adjusted according to your
taste preference.

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View Comments

Unknown says:

June 1, 2014 at 4:05 am

I'm so grateful for all the hard work you do to preserve and perpetuate our heritage recipes. One day soon, my 24 year old will partner and have a baby, and knowing I can make Hassa for the new one means a great deal.
Shnorhagaloutiun!
- Robyn Kalajian says:
  
  June 1, 2014 at 2:23 pm
  
  Anahid, you have no idea how meaningful your comment is to The Armenian Kitchen. Thank you for recognizing our goal. We wish you and your family good fortune!
CK Garabed says:

March 31, 2019 at 5:38 am

Robyn:
There is another preparation that celebrates the birth or christening of a child, and that is Deghatsgani Halva. It is comprised of ground sevagundig (nigella) and many spices.