jaggery

A block of Indian jaggery

Jaggery (also transliterated as jaggeree) is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.^[1] It is a concentrated product of cane juice/date juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color.^[1] 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 wood ash, proteins and bagasse fibers.^[1]

Origins and production

Making jaggery in Burma near Mount Popa

Jaggery is made of the products of both sugarcane and the Date palm tree. The sugar made from the sap of the date palm is both more prized and less commonly available outside of the regions where it is made. The sago palm and coconut palm are also now tapped for producing jaggery in West Bengal, South India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, syrup extracts from Caryota urens trees are widely used for jaggery production. This is considered the best quality jaggery available in local market and is given a higher value than jaggery coming from other sources.

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.

Cleaning of pans before making jaggery

Uses

South Asia

Jaggery preparation

Jaggery preparation

Jaggery is used as an ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes across India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. For example, a pinch of it is sometimes added to sambar, rasam, and other staples in India. Jaggery is also added to lentil soups (dāl) to add sweetness to balance the spicy, salty and sour components, particularly in Bengali cuisine, North Karnataka cuisine and Gujarati cuisine.

The Indian state of Maharashtra is the largest producer and consumer of jaggery (Guḷ (गुळ) in Marathi). In Maharashtra, most vegetables curries and dals contain it. This is specially used during Makar Sankranti for making a dessert called tilgul. In Gujarat, known as Gôḷ (ગોળ), during Makara Sankranti, a similar preparation called Tal na Ladu or Tal Sankli is made. In rural Maharashtra and Karnataka, water and a piece of jaggery is given when someone arrives home from working under a hot sun.

Kakvi, a byproduct of the production of jaggery, is also used in rural Maharashtra and Karnataka as a sweetener. It contains many minerals not found in ordinary sugar and is considered beneficial to health by the traditional Ayurvedic medical system.^[2] It is an ingredient of many sweet delicacies such as gur ka chawal ("jaggery rice"), a traditional Rajasthani dish.

In Gujarat, laddus are made from wheat flour and jaggery. A well-known Maharashtrian recipe, Puran poli, also uses it as a sweetener apart from Sugar.^[3] Jaggery is considered an easily available sweet which is shared on any good occasion. In engagement ceremonies, small particles of it are mixed with coriander seeds (ધાણા). Hence in many Gujarati communities, engagement is commonly known as Gol-Dhana (ગોળ-ધાણા), literally "jaggery and coriander seeds".

In Tamil Nadu, it is used in a dish called chakkarai Pongal (thi pongal). It is prepared during the festival of Pongal, which is held when the harvesting season begins.

In Oriya cuisine, cakes or piṭhas contain jaggery. Some marmalades made of mango and Dillenia also contain the ingredient.

In Bengali Hindu cuisine, it is commonly used in making sweet dishes, some of which mix jaggery with milk and coconut. Popular sweet dishes like laḍḍu / laṛu or paṭishapta piṭha mix it with coconut shreds. Jaggery is also molded into novel shapes as a type of candy. The same preparation of sweets have been made in its neighboring state Assam. Some of the popular sweet dishes of Assam such as Til-pitha (made of rice powder, sesame and jaggery), other rice based pitha and payas are made of jaggery. In some villages of Assam people still drink salty reed tea with a cube of gurd (jaggery) which is popularly called cheleka- chah (licking tea).

Traditional Karnataka sweets like Payasa, Obattu (Poli), and Unday use different kinds of jaggery. A pinch is commonly added to sambar and rasam . Karnataka produces both sugar- and palm-based jaggery. Also the combination of crushed Jaggery with Ghee is excellent and goes well with Chapathi.

The Muzaffarnagar District in Uttar Pradesh has the largest jaggery market in the world, followed by Anakapalli in the Visakhapatnam District in Andhra Pradesh. The Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra is also famous for its variety of jaggery, which is yellow and much sought after in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Mandya in Karnataka is known for its jaggery production.

All over India, jaggery has religious significance to Hindus. Many of the festivals involve the offering of jaggery to deities during worship. Jaggery is considered auspicious in many parts of India, and is eaten raw before the commencement of good work or any important new venture, or after good news is shared by family and friends.^{[citation needed]}

In Myanmar, jaggery 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. It 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 shreds, 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.

Other uses

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 like palm wine.

Besides being a food, jaggery may also be used to season the inside of tandoor ovens.^{[citation needed]}

Being used in agricultural and livestock industries for the preparations of MOL ( microorganism local) such as Fermented plant juice ( FPJ), Fermented Fruit juice (FFJ), Extraction of amino acid from fish (FAA) and other MOL used in agriculture especially in organic farming and System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

Names of jaggery

Burmese jaggery at a market in Mandalay

In South Asia

• Htanyat in (Burmese)
• Guḍa in Sanskrit (गुड—literally 'a ball')
• Guḍ in Oriya
• Gura in Pashto
• Guṛ in Assamese (গুড়), Bengali (গুড়), Bhojpuri (गुड़), Hindi (गुड़), Maithili, Punjabi (ਗੁੜ), and Urdu (گڑ)
• Godd in Konkani
• Sarkkara in Malayalam
• Gôḷ (ગોળ) in Gujarati
• Gôḷ (गौळ) in Rajasthani
• Guḷ (गुळ) in Marathi
• Bella (ಬೆಲ್ಲ) in Kannada
• Bellam (బెల్లం) in Telugu
• Bella in Tulu. Vale Bella is a type of Jaggery which prepared from Toddy.
• (Mandai) vellam (வெல்லம்), (karumbu) chakkarai, or kalkandu in Tamil (for jaggery made from sugarcane) and karuppaṭṭi or karippaṭṭi (for jaggery made from palm wine)
• Vellam (വെല്ലം) (for jaggery made from sugarcane) in Malabar as well as North Malabar and Chakkara in the rest of Kerala in Malayalam. "Sharkkara" is also a term used in Malayalam. Karuppaṭṭi or karippaṭṭi (for jaggery made from palm wine), and panam kalkandam (for sugar crystal made from coconut)
• Hakuru (හකුරු) in Sinhalese
• Kurtai in Mizo
• veli in Nepali or Nepalese (नेपाली)

In Latin America and the Caribbean

• Raspadura in Cuba & Panama
• Rapadou in Haiti
• Rapadura in Brazil & Dominican Republic
• Tapa de dulce in Costa Rica
• Papelón in Venezuela
• Panela, Chancaca and piloncillo in the rest of Latin America

In Southeast Asia

• Htanyet (ထန်းလျက်; pronounced: [tʰəɲeʔ]) in Burmese
• Gula Melaka in Malay
• Gula Merahin Malaysia or nisan ( nise) in Kelantan ( north eastern state of West Malaysia) or Gula Jawa Indonesian
• Panocha (Spanish) or Panutsa in the Philippines
• namtaan tanod (น้ำตาลโตนด) = palm sugar; น้ำตาลทราย(แดง) [năm-ta:n sà:j (dae:ng)] = “sugar+sand+(red)”] (red) cane sugar; น้ำตาลมะพร้าว [năm-ta:n màprâ:o] coconut sugar, in Thai

Elsewhere

• Sukari Nguuru in Swahili
• Kokuto in Japan^{[citation needed]}
• Vollrohrzucker in Germany

See also

• Palm sugar
• Piloncillo
• Sugarloaf

References

External links

• IndiaCurry.com Gur Making
• Step by step illustrated process of jaggery manufacturing
• Khejur Gur Making (Gur from Silver Date Palm)
• Natural Jaggery Nutrition Data and Health Benefits
• Organic Jaggery