Jaggery

Jaggery (also transliterated as jaggeree), guṛ (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), hakuru (Sri Lanka), panela (Spanish South America), and rapadura (Brazil) , is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal sugar consumed in Asia, Africa and South America. It is made for direct consumption. This type of sugar is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, moisture content of up to 20%, and the remainder made up of other insoluble matter such as ash, proteins and bagasse fibers.

Origins and production

Although the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as `unrefined sugar from palm sap', the word jaggery is used for the products of both sugarcane and the palm tree. The sugar made from the sap of the date palm is both more prized and less available outside of the districts where it is made. The sago palm and coconut palm are also now tapped for producing jaggery in southern India and Sri Lanka. In Mexico and South America, similar sugarcane products are known as "panela" or "piloncillo".

All types of the sugar come in blocks or pastes of solidified concentrated sugar syrup heated to 200°C. Traditionally, the syrup is made by boiling raw sugarcane juice or palm sap in a large shallow round-bottom vessel as shown here.

The Indian state of Maharashtra is the largest producer and consumer of jaggery. In Maharashtra most vegetables curries and dals contain jaggery. Jaggery is specially used during Makar Sankranti for making sweetmeat called tilgul. In rural Maharashtra, water and a piece of jaggery is given when someone arrives home from working under a hot sun. Kakvi, a byproduct from production of jaggery, is also used in rural Maharashtra as a sweetener. It contains many minerals not found in ordinary sugar and is considered beneficial to health by the tradional medical system Ayurveda.

In addition, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, guṛ has a religious significance. Many of the festivals are incomplete without gur as it is offered to the deity during worship. Also, it is regularly consumed as a sweetener and is a part of many sweet delicacies such as gur ka chawal (rice with gur) which is a traditional Rajasthani dish.

In Myanmar, jaggery, known as htanyet (which means "toddy lick"), is harvested from toddy palm syrup. In central Myanmar and around Bagan (Pagan), toddy syrup is collected solely for the purpose of making jaggery. The translucent white syrup is boiled until it becomes golden brown, and then made into bite-sized pieces.

Uses

Jaggery is used as an ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes across India and Sri Lanka. For example, a pinch of jaggery is sometimes added to sambar, rasam and other gravies which are staples in India.

Jaggery is also added to lentil soups (dāl) to add sweetness to balance the spicy, salty and sour components, particularly in Gujarati cuisine called (gaur) add in cooking.

In Bengali cuisine it is referred as guṛ (Bengali গুড়), and is very common in making sweet dishes. Special sweet dishes are made by mixing jaggery with milk and coconut. Popular sweet dishes like Naru or Patisapta Pitha are made by mixing jaggery with coconut shreddings. Jaggery is also molded into novelty shapes as a type of candy.

Other uses include jaggery toffees and jaggery cake made with pumpkin preserve, cashew nuts, pea nuts and spices.

Jaggery may also be used in the creation of alcoholic beverages.

Jaggery is also considered auspicious in many parts of India, and is eaten raw before commencement of good work or any important new venture. The Muzaffarnagar District in Uttar Pradesh has the largest jaggery market in India, followed by Anakapalli of the Visakhapatnam District in Andhra Pradesh. These are the biggest and second biggest in the entire world. Kolhapur a district place in western Maharashtra is also famous for its variety which is yellow in color and is most sought after in Maharashtra. Jaggery from this place is exported.

In Myanmar jaggery is considered a sweet and is eaten by children and adults alike, usually in the afternoon along with a pot of green tea. It has been referred to locally as Burmese chocolate. Toddy palm jaggery is also sometimes mixed with coconut shreddings, jujube puree or sesame, depending on the area. This type of jaggery is also used in Burmese cooking, usually to add color and enrich the food.

Besides its uses as a food, jaggery may also be used to season the inside of tandoor ovens.

Health benefits

Jaggery is a rich source of iron due to the process involved, using iron utensils. It is considered by some to be a particularly wholesome sugar and, unlike refined sugar, it retains more mineral salts. Moreover, the process does not involve chemical agents. Indian Ayurvedic medicine considers jaggery to be beneficial in treating throat and lung infections; Sahu and Saxena found that in rats jaggery can prevent lung damage from particulate matter such as coal and silica dust. Gandhi felt that jaggery was healthier than refined sugar, as it was not introduced into the blood as rapidly. As such, he used it in his own personal diet and recommended it to use in his invented goat-milk diet (and all other diets/eating styles) as well.

Names of jaggery

(in alphabetical order of the name)

Gud (গুড়) in Bangla
Bella in Kannada
Bellam (బెల్లం) in Telugu
chakkara in Malayalam [made from palm wine]
Gaur in Gujarati
Guṛ (गुड़) in Hindi (the /r/ sound is retroflex and flapped)
Guḍ or guṛ (ਗੁੜ) in Punjabi
Guḷ (गुळ) in Marathi (note the /l/ in this case which is the retroflex lateral approximant)
Goḍ in Konkani
Gula Melaka in Malaysia
Gur in Assamese, Bengali, Oriya and Urdu.
Guur in Maithili
Hakuru in Sinhalese [Sri Lanka]
Htanyet in Burmese
Panela and piloncillo in Latin America
Kurtai in Mizoţawng
Panocha or Panutsa in the Philippines
Rapadou in Haiti
Papelón in Venezuela
Rapadura in Brazil
Raspadura in Cuba
Gula in Sanskrit
Sharkara / Vellam in Malayalam [made from sugarcane]
Tapa de Dulce in Costa Rica
Valle Bella in Tulu
Vellam (வெல்லம்) or Manda(i)-Vellam or Sakkarai or Kalkandu in Tamil
Guda in Oriya

Translation

The word "Jaggery" occurs as such in the following languages: English, German.

Translation(s) in other languages: Bengali: গুড়, Hindi: गुड़ (शक्कर), Latin: Iagra, Malayalam: ശര്‍ക്കര, Swedish: palmsocker, Tamil: வெல்லம், Telugu: బెల్లం, Urdu: گڑ.