Mahanandi

42 comments for Jaggery (Gur, Bellam) ~ Sugarcane and Palm »

1. It was very good information about Jaggery. My mom also uses Jaggery in most of the sweets because of its rich iron content.

   Comment by sirisha — November 26, 2006 @ 8:53 pm

2. Hi Indira,
   You have given a very good info about Jaggery. Wonderful description about this sweet ingredient used in many a item in our Indian cooking.
   Truly,taste of Jaggery is distinct and irreplacable. As you said, it is considered a significant item in all the religious ceremonies and festive occassions.

   You have provided an excellent detail on this ingredient. It was nice reading this post of yours.

   Comment by Deepu — November 26, 2006 @ 9:05 pm

3. I use dark brown sugar instead of jaggery. It is a lot cleaner and made with the same ingredient and process as the jaggery. This is just my preference as I do not like the sand particles that you mentioned. Good information as usual. BTW/ anything bleached to a white color is evil - white sugar, bleached all purpose flour and white rice. Try using Turbinado sugar, whole wheat flour and brown rice.
   Good luck with the Jihva event.

   Comment by ash — November 26, 2006 @ 11:03 pm

4. Hi Indira,

   I had posted about Jaggery on my blog too , but long back
   http://fitfulculinaria.blogspot.com/2006/11/jaggery.html#links

   I had the opportunity to see the making of bellam (jaggery) while we lived in a village for a few months. The village’s main crop is sugar cane and every field had its own jaggery making unit. Infact what people know is only 3 stages, sugarcane juice, jaggery and sugar. But I was lucky enough to see the biproducts of it. While making bellam, at different stages they take out the stuff and call it some names and use it for making so many other condiments:)(Sorry I forgot all the names, hence the word stuff).
   I particularly remember “panakam”…which is a thick dark syrup taken out at certain stage of making of bellam. It’s delicious and we used to eat idlis and attu with that. It’s not like the syrup we make at home with sugar or bellam. It’s different and very nice taste.
   Your post brought back all the memories.
   My personal favourite among bellams is the dark bellam (I don’t think its palm though, coz I had tasted palm jaggery and it tastes different and smoky)

   I will try and participate in this JFI. It would be my first one

   Comment by Tweety — November 27, 2006 @ 12:22 am

5. Indira,

   Arun Shanbhag has written a very nice photo-essay on the jaggery making process. Here is a link:

   http://arunsindia.blogspot.com/2005/11/sugarcane-fields-making-jaggery.html

   Comment by Rainee — November 27, 2006 @ 1:38 am

6. What a wonderful post, you gave me some new information on Jaggery…and it is one of my fondest memories of eating the melted jaggery or ‘payo’ as it is called in Gujarati,whenever my mom made sweets…she would set aside for me!

   Regards,Trupti

   Comment by Trupti — November 27, 2006 @ 3:32 am

7. Well, dark brown sugar might be cleaner/easier but it certainly doesn’t have the same taste. To me, the taste isn’t even close, so I’m still faithful to these traditional sugars!

   Indra, in Malaysia we have a kind of sugar called “gula melaka” — a black palm sugar, perhaps related to the dark jaggery? Anyway, it’s very similar to what you describe and we all, Indians, Chinese, Malays, all use it in our cooking. It is used especially for desserts, my favourite being a lovely dish of sago pearls (tapioca?) served with thick coconut milk and melted “gula melaka.” If you have a chance to find the gula melaka (Asian groceries often carry it), you must try this simple and satisfying dessert. I think you would love it!

   Thanks again for your blog, by the way. It’s such an amazing resource.

   Comment by Preeta — November 27, 2006 @ 3:54 am

8. Very good information,indeed,Indira.My father grew up in Bandar(Machilipatnam) and he always says that the dark coloured jaggery is purer.My ammamma also says that light coloured jaggery has lime mixed in it,which is why it is harder than the dark jaggery.I personally prefer the dark jaggery too,because of its taste and soft texture.

   I love the taste of palm jaggery(taati bellam) as well.My mother’s collegue(in Orissa) once brought some for us, and since then,I am hooked on to it.I can’t seem to find it anywhere else though.
   I will see what I cam come up with for the JFI..it will be my first JFI.I am so excited..

   Comment by Vini K — November 27, 2006 @ 4:17 am

9. I forgot to add this Indira:My father says that eating jaggery along with roasted peanuts(palleelu) is very good for curing constipation esp in pregnant women.

   Comment by Vini K — November 27, 2006 @ 4:22 am

10. Interesting post Indira…I used to use the hammer and knife method until i discovered the easy breezy method of using the microwave. Microwave large chunks of jaggery ina bowl for a minute or so, and they are soft enough to be rolled into small balls for one-recipe use. I do the same with asafoetida chunks.

    Comment by nandita — November 27, 2006 @ 4:42 am

11. Very neat presentataion as always .

    I logged on to my blog after almost a month and see your comment there. I am honoured Indira garu. TY so much.
    -Ratnavalli

    Comment by Ratnavalli — November 27, 2006 @ 6:02 am

12. Indira,
    The main difference between jaggery and the white sugar is that jaggery is so full of iron along with I think a little magnesium. Thats why jaggery they say is good for your health while white sugar kills you. Even though it is sugar,they call it medicinal. In Naturopathy treatments,they use a lot of jaggery but never white sugar. They say white sugar is white poison.

    I am not sure whether the jaggery we get in Kerala is from Palm, but it is very soft and we just scrape it using a knife. We get in the shape of balls. You get this jaggery in Kerala stores. Most Keralites I know never use the pale one.In fact, you never see the pale one in Kerala.

    Looks like the brown colour one you have in your pic. Then there is another type of jaggery we called ‘karipetti’ which is a little hard, which they say is better than jaggery and is kind of medicinal.
    No idea how these are all made. Need to ask someone.

    Comment by InjiPennu — November 27, 2006 @ 8:27 am

13. Hey Indira

    a useful tip is that microwave teh big chunk of jaggery - it will melt . u can store the fridge and keep using it

    Comment by Revathi — November 27, 2006 @ 11:58 am

14. Hi Indira,

    I came to know many things abt jaggery from your article.Thanks a lot for it..and enjoyed reading it too:-)…Good Job:-)

    Comment by meena kandlakuti — November 27, 2006 @ 12:18 pm

15. hi indira,
    wonderful post about the jaggery. inji, the sarkkara we get in kerala is not usually from palm, but from molasses. but the panamchakkara, or palm jaggery is there.
    we do get pale sarkkara, especially in thrissur district. i like it better. that we get in that special shape called vellam. the other type, the ball variety is more common in southern districts. may be that is why you have seen that only.
    karipetti is made from palm, with a lot of medicinal stuff like chukku, jeera etc added. i was addicted to karupetty tea at a time. it is a fine way to start a morning.

    Comment by renu — November 27, 2006 @ 12:20 pm

16. How true your observation is Indira… my mom never makes payasam with sugar on festival days… always with jaggery (we call it mandai vellam… the dark one,sweet and no hint of lemon in it).

    And also i remember that in Tirunelveli district (south of tamilnadu) people drink ‘karupatti coffee’. I don’t know how they make it except that karupatti is made from palm (as Renu mentions). this was a cheap alternative to coffee powder but healthy. They also make a delicious halwa… someone please correct me if i’m wrong!

    Awaiting the recipes with jaggery..(thank u for choosing it for this month’s jihva, Kay!)

    Latha

    Comment by Latha — November 27, 2006 @ 1:30 pm

17. Very informative post Indira! The jaggery that is beloved in Bengal is date-palm jaggery also called ‘khejur-gur’ (I am not sure whether it is same as palm jaggery you show here). It has a distinct,amazingly aromatic taste and can be had just on its own, once it is liquified. This khejur-gur is used as flavouring multitude of bengali sweets during winter. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

    Comment by Mystic — November 27, 2006 @ 2:39 pm

18. Very informative write up about Jaggary, Indira.My late grandfather used to grow sugarcane in our Mysore farm and make jaggary in square moulds to sell whole sale.My uncles are not interested in that now unfortunately.

    I will post my Jihva tomorrow,something unusual as Kay asked for

    Comment by Asha — November 28, 2006 @ 9:18 am

19. An informative post, which also revealed a few facts that I had no idea of, Indira. Thank you so much. I am a jaggery-lover anyway, but this ‘animal bone meal thing’ is gonna make me think twice more before I reach out for the sugar jar.
    Also, I loved your critisism on the Indians’ growing love for ‘pale’ things. One of the things that I have noticed after coming back to India is the rise in fairness products. Wonder whether they use it to process jaggery too.

    Comment by Vaishali — November 28, 2006 @ 9:48 am

20. Hi Indira

    this is the first time i am visiting ur blog.Nice blog u have.This information is good.i know the preparation of jaggery as our relative has worked in an sugar factory.i went there when i was small but still now i can remember the smell of jaggery .it is full of iron and good for health.thanks for sharing.

    Comment by swapna — November 28, 2006 @ 12:17 pm

21. Hi Indira, I really enjoyed reading this post about jaggery. I found it interesting to see the taste compared to brown sugar or maple syrup. In my opinion, jaggery might bear a *slight* resemblance to unrefined molasses, but it is nothing like maple syrup, and brown sugar is in another (inferior) league altogether. Since I started using jaggery I have happily stopped buying brown sugar. Jaggery most certainly has its own distinct flavor, and to my palate, is far more complex than the others mentioned. Now I will have to look for the darker palm jaggery, too.

    Hope you had a nice holiday ~ Kittaya is looking gorgeous as always

    Comment by Linda — November 29, 2006 @ 10:58 am

22. I was happy recently to find the dark (date palm) jaggery at a south indian store in the San Francisco Bay Area (Coconut Hill in Newark). I now have both kinds and use each according to the recipe at hand. I prefer the taste of the dark, but it doesn’t always suit every recipe as sometimes the taste is too prominent.

    As usual, you have given us an informative and interesting posting to mull over - thanks!

    Comment by Diane — November 29, 2006 @ 4:39 pm

23. A Sweet Treat
    By Malkanthi Leitan
    Feature Story from “Explore Sri Lanka”
    (Article provided by the Sri Lanka Embassy)

    Jaggery (popularly known as hakuru) has been a popular sweet as well as a much used sweetening agent in many a traditional dessert. IT is made from the Kaffery Plam (Caryota Urens), an attractive palm, also known as the Sago Palm, being outstanding for its much divided leaves and triangular leaflets. Known as Kitul in Sinhala and Kundal Panai in Tamil, the Jaggery Palm was chiefly cultivated in the Kandyan hills in ancient times for the sake of its sap, which is drawn, boiled down and crystallized into a type of brown sugar - jaggery.
    Today, kitul jaffery is prepared in many areas of Sri Lanka, including Bandarawela, Badulla, Ingiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and other places. It is just one of the many products that can be derived from the Kitul or Jaggery Palm Tree. For example, toddy - a slightly intoxicating but nutritious drink - is obtained by tapping the tree when the tree is 15-20 years old and commences to flower. The sap, known as pani, is also used as a sweetener. From the interior of the stem, the sago-like starch can also be made into bread of boiled into gruel. Kitul fiber, made from the sheaths of the leaf stalks, is very strong and can be made into ropes, brushes, baskets, fishing lines and other articles. Kitul palm wood is much stronger and durable than that of other palms and can be used for many domestic purposes.
    Ranjini, from Bandarawela, says that making jaggery is easy. She makes it by boiling kitul pani (the sap of the jaggery or kitul palm tree). “You have to boil it over a slow fire and stir until it becomes sticky and thick anddoes not drip from the spoon you are stirring it with,” says Ranjini. “It usually takes around 20 minutes to get the right consistency,” she says that the kitul pani must be the genuine thing and should not contain additives such as refined white sugar.
    Next the mixture is poured into a coconut shell to harden. Ranjini recommends a well moistened coconut shell or a dry that has been lined with the leaf of a plantain tree. These methods will ensure that the mixture will not stick making it difficult to remove. Once the mixture has hardened, which doesn’t take very long, all you have to do is to tip over the coconut shell and the jaggery or hakuru will come out of its mold in its brown half-globe form.
    Jaggery is best made from kitul pani. You can always tell if it is kitul jaggery because the product will be dark brown in color and soft. Jaggery can also be made from pani from the coconut palm tree - polpani. Unfortunately today, where pot jaggery is concerned, sugar is added and it doesn’t give you the real distinctive flavor of jaggery. Sometimes kitul jaggery can be adulerated with sugar, too. Always buy the darkest and softest jaggery, light and hard jaggery has probably been adulterated with sugar. However, genuine coconut or pol jaggery, without the addition of refined sugar, has a high nutrition content. For every 100 g of edible portion you get 1,638 mp of calcium and 62 mg phosphorous - bone, teeth and muscle builders.
    During the Sinhala and Hindu New Year, jaggery or hakuru, is a popular ingredient in many a dish. Tradtional sweets such as bibikkan, kalu dodol and halapa taste good with jaggery.
    Jihva for Jaggery: Palm Sugar or Panai Vellam

    Thanks:Flickr
    Palmyrah or Panai is very close to every Sri Lankan Tamil’s heart. We tend to use all parts of the tree. Northern Srilanka does not get much rainfall and Palmyrahs seem to flourish here. The scene above is how a typical village looks like from afar. I remember getting excited on seeing these trees when on long walks with my grandmother. Clusters of palmyrahs means human habitats and one can always request drinking water.
    It’s been years since I left Sri Lanka. But, whenever I see a Palmyrah in India, I would be transported to Pungudutheevu, my home town. My family used to tease me a lot because I seem to remember more from the two years spent in Pungudutheevu compared to everything else - be it school lessons or even recent events.

    Thanks:Flickr
    As I said earlier, we tend to use all parts of the Palmyrah tree. The trunks are used as building materials. The Palmyrah has so many uses it’s practically impossible to list them all. To be truthful, I have even forgotten the different ways the Palmyrah was used back home. From what I remember the leaves were used mainly to make the sleeping mats. Narrow but lengthy coils of mats were also made. The mats were used when there are a lot of people in the house. These mats would be uncoiled and people would sit on them to be fed breakfast, lunch or dinner. Mats were also made to dry things on.
    Containers of varying sizes would be made to store and transport goods both edible and not. One such container is called the ‘kadaham’ and it is so versatile. It could be used to transport paddy, rice, lentils or even cooked rice when there is a huge gathering to be fed. It could also be used to remove waste from the yard. We had 5-6 kadaham for different purposes. Puttu would be steamed in containers made just for this purpose. Well, being versatile, the same ‘puttu steamer’ would be used to drain water from washed rice and lentils. How long the ‘neethuppetti’ or ‘puttu steamer’ lasts depends on the usage. One household would have more than one and if more’s needed all one has to do is spend around 15 minutes to make a new one. Additional point in favour is that all these are bio-degradable and everything else is used as fuel.
    Palmyrah tree has edible parts too. The mature fruit - ‘panam pazham’ could be roasted in fire and could be eaten just like that. Paniyaaram could be made from it and todate that remains my favourite snack. More on Panampazham and other countless uses of Panai or Palmyrah later. Another day, perhaps!

    The reason for this post is ‘Panagatti’ ‘Karuppatti’, ‘Panai Vellam’ or Palm Sugar. The fruit when young and just forming would produce a sap that could use to produce ‘arrack’ - an alcohol. The same sap could be boiled to make Palm Sugar. The sap would be boiled and would be packaged in a container made from palmyrah leaves just for this.. You can see it in the photo above.
    Palm Sugar - ‘Panangatti’ is used to make sweets. Unfortunately I dont know much about the recipes. [Time to call family, eh?;)] When young, we used to be given milk with a bit of palm sugar mixed in. It is our nightly ritual at home. I have recreated it here for Indira’s brainchild - Jihva For Ingredients. Kay of Towards a Better Tomorrow is hosting this month and the ingredient is Jaggery. With all my connection and passion to Palmyrah, how could I not participate. hmm?!
    This is also my first time taking part in any online cooking event.

    Hot milk infused with Palm Sugar

    Recipe:
    Milk: 1 cup
    Palm Sugar: 1/2 tsp (or according to taste)
    Boil milk. Add desired amount of Palm Sugar. Tastes very good on cold wintry nights.

    Now to the non-regular recipe.
    Caramelized apples with icecream

    Recipe:
    Apple: 1/2 apple
    Palm Sugar: 1/2 tsp
    Butter - 1/8 tsp
    Peel, core and slice the apple. Add butter to the heated pan. Layer the pan with sliced apple. Cover and let it cook. Stir, once in a while. After about 2 minutes or once the apple is half cooked sprinkle the palm sugar. Cover and cook for a few more minutes.
    On the serving dish, scoop out the icecreams and layer the caramelized apples.
    In Tamil:
    JFI:Jaggery - ?????????/??????????/??????????
    for JFI-Jaggery hosted by Kay of ‘Towards A Better Tomorrow’
    For more information on Palmyrah trees - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmyrah
    Kitul Pani: There’s another variety of Jaggery available in Sri Lanka. It’s the staple of Sinhala people
    Brown is far superior than prestine white

    Honey, jaggery (shakkar) Palm gur), molasses and unrefined brown
    sugar are the preferred sweeteners than polished white sugar.Gur was
    once considered as ‘poor peoples sugar’ and got rejected by people
    who were becoming economically wealthy. Now there is a phenomenal
    reverse trend where brown sugar costs more than double the costing
    of refined sugar, after realisation by the riches about the
    nutritive values of unrefined brown sugar.

    Jaggery, Gur: The King of brown sugars,

    Gur and Jaggery are made from unrefined palm sugar and unrefined
    cane sugar, and available in the form of bars and sometimes in large
    lumps. It is preferable to white sugar in many dishes. As it is
    not sold in powder or granulated form it is hard to measure it like
    the ordinary white sugar. As it is less sweet, one has to use one’s
    own judgement and discretion when adjusting the quantities called
    for in the recipes using white sugar.

    Palm jaggery is made from the traditional palm sap of South India.
    This is not made from date palm, this is the new entry that grows
    widely in the arid regions of South India.

    This palm jaggery is called karupatti in Tamil. It does have a
    distinct taste. It does not come in large big balls or cubes like
    sugarcane jaggery. The cubes are much smaller.

    It is mostly used as a medicine in several siddha and ayrvedic
    preparations, or candy by the kids. The palm sap is also made into
    crystals, like sugar crystal candy. This palm crystal is called
    panam kalkandu in Tamil. These crystals are not fine, they are
    uneven and have light brown .

    Both these products are made in small batches, usually a cottage
    industry. So they have impurities, like fine sand or tiny pieces of
    hay etc. But that doesn’t deter the people of South India from to
    purify them and filter at home. The purified Gur syrup/crystalls
    are then added to various food vareities.

    The palm crystal is supposed to be good for dry cough. Also to
    soothe the throat, we drink a tea made from the palm jaggery. This
    jaggery is really dark in color, like blackstrap molasses.

    The knowledge of traditional health comes from the people,
    primarily, the women. They have the ability to heal both the body
    and mind.

    But now the people’s health traditions are on the verge of getting
    lost due to modern medicine’s onslaught. In the Hippocratic system
    the body caused the diseases and the body has the ability to heal
    itself.

    The diet plays a vital role in the process of healing and
    recovering the healthy dynamic and enegetic state of mind and body.

    Women play a role in preparation of Traditional foods for good
    health on the Tamil New Years day.

    Pongal or Paniyaram are prepared using hand pounded rice and Palm
    Gur. A traditional cool and energetic feast is organized in which
    pulses and cereals form part of the main menu. ‘’Two foods are
    served traditionally on this day,” ‘a cooked mango salad and a neem
    flower salad.” The raw mango, tempered with mustard seeds and red
    chilies, is cooked in a sweet syrup from Gur or Jaggery. Its flavor -
    - sweet and sour — signifies both the good and bad in life. The
    bitter neem flower salad is prepared similarly. ‘’People eat the
    neem salad first, before the meal,”. ‘’It means the bitterness of
    life has been dealt with and we are now moving forward”.
    The Neem Floor Rice, Neem flower Rasam are other specialities of the
    New Year.

    PONDICHERRY: The Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy on Thursday said
    mothers should give a balanced diet to their children. “Only if they
    eat food with lots of pulses, greens and nuts will they be able to
    stay healthy, study well and contribute towards the development of
    the country”, he told a one-day workshop for ICDS supervisors and
    NGOs on “Micro nutrient deficiencies - a drain in Indian economy”.

    Devi Mathews, Director, Department of Women and Child Welfare,
    said “eating a balanced diet helps to prevent many diseases. Almonds
    can be used in kheer. Also pongal with green gram dhal and kichadi
    with vegetables are healthy food”.

    “Lack of chromium in our diet makes us glucose impotent, which
    causes diabetes? Most of us eat only to satiate our hunger and our
    diet consists of rice, pulses and meat. We don’t bother about the
    trace elements like magnesium, zinc, chromium, copper and fluorides.
    These trace elements are very important and can be found in almonds,
    pista and peanuts”, says Balasubramanian, Head of the Department of
    Medicine, Government General Hospital, Pondicherry.

    Dr. Balasubramanian said “low level of zinc leads to decrease in
    sperm count in men and in carrying mothers it affects the formation
    of foetus, genesis of embryo and growth of the child up to 5 years.
    Trace elements are important for a lot of functions and they should
    be added in salt instead of just iodine and iron”. Nuts consumed in
    moderation and mixed with Gur/jaggery helps to reduce instances of
    anaemia. “According to 2004 statistics, 63 per cent of Indian women
    and 43 per cent of men are anaemic. Jaggery contains calcium and
    iron and the nuts the trace elements. We are supposed to take 500 mg
    of calcium everyday, which is 750 ml of wholesome milk (3 glasses
    per day),” he said

    Jaggery or “Gur” or whole sugar is a pure, wholesome, traditional,
    unrefined, whole sugar.

    It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently
    present in sugarcane juice or Palm Juice & this crowns it as one of
    the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world.

    Why is it healthy?

    Jaggery or Gur, being a wholesome sugar, without doubt is rich in
    the vitally important mineral salts: 2.8 grams per 100 grams, that
    is to say 28 grams per kilogram, while only 300 milligrams per
    kilogram is found in refined sugar.

    Magnesium strengthens the nervous system & potassium is vital to
    conserve the acid balance in the cells and combats acids and
    acetone.

    Jaggery is very rich in iron, which, a composite of hemoglobin
    prevents anemia.

    Sweet Switch

    Jaggery satisfies your sweet tooth without the chemicals found in
    processed sugar.

    By Tamara Schryve

    Americans consume an average of 152 pounds of sugar a year-an
    increase of 30 pounds compared to two decades ago, according to the
    U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    Processing refined sugar from sugar cane, though, often includes the
    use of harsh chemicals, such as sulfur dioxide, phosphoric acid, and
    bleaching agents, that strip it of vitamins, minerals, and
    phytonutrients, leaving the refined sugar as one what nutritionists
    refer to as “empty calories.”

    Yet not all sweeteners are nutritional duds. For those reluctant to
    surrender their sweet tooth, there is a healthier alternative:
    jaggery, a staple in many Eastern diets that is used to sweeten
    foods like rice pudding, hot coconut milk, and vegetarian curries.

    Jaggery comes from either the sap of sugar cane or palm trees, and
    its flavor is described as an aromatic blend between brown sugar and
    molasses with fermented or wine undertones. But what makes jaggery
    superior to regular sugar is the way it’s made.

    Because it is processed without the use of chemicals, jaggery
    retains many vital vitamins and minerals, such as calcium,
    phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. In fact, jaggery has a mineral
    content approximately 50 times greater than refined sugar and five
    times more than brown sugar.

    It sells in most East Indian markets in a spreadable form called
    gur, or as a grainy, brown, coffee can-shaped chunk. Jaggery can be
    used in practically any food or beverage where you might want to add
    a few spoonfuls of sugar.

    You can grate or cut jaggery into small pieces and add it to cereal
    or coffee or tea; gur can be used on bread and other baked items.

    Jaggery can also be chopped up and dissolved in water to form a
    syrup to sweeten custards, rice, or even poured over ice cream.

    You can substitute jaggery for granulated white sugar in many
    recipes-you will need to use about one-and-a-half times the amount
    of jaggery to achieve the equivalent level of sweetness.

    Jaggery’s health benefits even go beyond the kitchen and even beyond
    any one imaginable thoughts on various health benefits.

    It has long been observed that people who work in highly toxic
    surroundings and regularly consume jaggery, such as industrial
    workers in dusty or smoky environments, have little or no bronchial
    or lung discomfort. And a study in Environmental Health Perspectives
    (1994: 211-214) reported that jaggery reduced the number of lesions
    formed in rats’ lungs infiltrated with coal and silica dust.

    Palm Gur and Jaggery

    The true danger of white refined sugar seems to be that, due to its
    overwhelming appeal to the human taste buds, everyone is appealed
    to eat it in excess–often displacing other more nutritious foods
    from the diet which is the genesis of development of coronary artery
    disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and dental caries

    Gur Jaggery’s health benefits

    For centuries, jaggery has been used throughout India as a healthy
    sweetener.To convert the plam neer or sap into gur, simple
    evaporation or crude centrifugation is the only process. No
    chemicals or bleaches are added. It is then simply poured into
    moulds to form small cakes.

    Jaggery, also known as gur, has a mineralcontent of approximately 60
    times that of refined white sugar. Gur added sweet and food items
    does not cause carving for food similar that caused by the
    consumption of food items prepared with white sugar.

    Remember, even jaggery must be used in moderation.
    The important health foods not include food items prepared from hand
    pounded rice, whole flour wheat atta, unpolished pulses & grams,
    palm jaggery, but very frequently includes food prepared from Minor
    millets such as Thinai (Setaria italica) and Kelvaragu (Eleusine
    coracana), Kambu (Sorghum) and maize etc.

    Thinai-Honey Offering to Thiruvalluvar

    Thinai and Then play a crucial role in Kandapuranam epic.

    Tiruvalluvar is believed to be king who ruled Valluvanadu and the
    staple of their period is believed to be honey and ‘’thinai'’
    (little millet) flour.

    The ancestoral worship for Tiruvalluvar worship continues even now
    by a specific tribal community in Kanyakumari district
    ('’Valluvankalpotrai'’ (Valluvan Hill) and the adjoining hill
    called ‘’Valluvathi Potrai'’.

    Thinai flour has more fibre content, protein content and vitamin B.
    Very much help if regulary consumed for preventing diseases like
    obesity, diabetes, arthiritis, high blood pressure and aneamia.

    Unground Thinai can be boiled and taken like food similar to rice
    preparation with vegetables. Thinai flour puttu and laddu other
    delicious vareities.

    Then - Thinai - Jaggery with some grated coconut is the best snacks
    for kids

    This is for the first time that the Nadar cuisine is brought out.
    Due to the research, we will be able to preserve the recipes in a
    docket form. Otherwise, it would have become extinct. People did not
    know that such an exotic cuisine exists,” says Chef Khosla,
    executive chef, Taj Krishna.

    Offering insights into the fare, Chef Khumar says, “there are six
    special masalas that go into the making of various dishes. The food
    is rich — mutton is a delicacy that is tempered with mutton fat. For
    desserts, rice flour fermented with toddy and sweetmeats made with
    palm tree jaggery are popular.” So much for calories, but the
    cuisine offers a plethora of flavours — from a chicken made with
    garlic to bell pepper-flavoured meat vadas called Kari bondas.

    Time for Paanakaram :

    With summer fast approaching the Paanakaram which is the most served
    to all public freely as customary drink during Summer festivals of
    South Tamilnadu (Paankaram is the customary thirst quenching tamil
    drink made with lemon juice, optionally a slight dash tarmarind paste
    added to either Panangalkandu or cane jaggery and a pinch of cardamom
    and/or dried ginger) or Sarbath (made from Nannari ver, Panaivellam
    or Palm Jaggery and lemon concentrate) and chilled in earthen pots.

    Many people do not prefer cold water from the refrigerator, for health
    reason and they prefer the alternative use of traditional earthen
    pots ( matka) which makes for water of just the right temperature to
    slake one’s thirst.

    Variants of Chukku malli kappi, chukku kappi or rather injii kaapi
    prepared with Palm Jaggery are almost one and the same with slight
    variations in the formulation is the best for intake in the evening
    and in the night. Moreover regular habit of Chukku Malli Karupatti
    coffee apart from increasing an individual’s health, it also
    controls one’s desire for alcoholic drinks and help in move away
    from habitual liquor addiction.

    God’s own `chukkuvellam’

    `Chukkuvellam,’ the boiled, medicated drinking water has become a
    trademark of Kerala. Tourists have been fascinated by this herbal
    concoction, often making this a habit. SUDHA NAMBUDIRI writes on the
    goodness, carminative and digestive properties of this Ayurvedic
    drink.

    HAVING BEEN brought up by traditionally vegetarian and strictly
    teetotaller parents in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Shanmugham was shocked to see
    the yellow-coloured drink kept on every table during his lunch at a
    popular vegetarian restaurant in Kochi. This was his first ever
    visit to Kerala. Soon, the waiter placed a glass of same drink on
    his table also. It took some time for the waiter to convince his
    customer that the drink is not alcohol, but only boiled water,
    medicated by herbs, to which most Keralites are habituated. Five
    years hence, Mr. Shanmugham also regularly takes the boiled and
    medicated water, the well-known `chukkuvellam.’

    Often rousing the curiosity of tourists, `chukkuvellam’ has come to
    stay as a trademark of God’s Own Country, for the last several
    years, much the same way as the green tea of the Japanese.

    The concept of `chukkuvellam’ finds its origins in Ayurveda. “There
    is a saying in Kerala, `Chukkillatha kashayamilla’ (there is no
    concotion without `chukku’ or dry ginger). In almost all Ayurveda
    medicines, `chukku’ is a common ingredient because of its
    carminative and digestive properties. According to Ayurveda,
    indigestion in all levels of metabolism is the root cause of all
    diseases. So a daily intake of such an ingredient is good enough to
    keep sickness away,” says Dr. E. T. Neelakandhan Mooss of
    Vaidyaratnam Oushadashala, Thaikkattussery.

    Dr. K. Sreedharan Nair, retired Professor, Shoranur Ayurvedic
    College and visiting physician, Keraleeya Ayurveda Samajam,
    explains, “The `chukku’ has catalytic properties and hence it boosts
    the medicinal value of other ingredients. After a sumptuous meal,
    you find people serve `chukkuvellam,’ which helps digestion. In
    Ayurveda, we often concentrate first on the stomach to see if the
    ailment has anything to do with improper digestion. If we suspect
    so, we advice the patient to starve for a couple of days and drink
    only medicated water so as to cleanse the stomach off its undigested
    food.”

    Unlike common belief, `chukkuvellam’ does find its mention in the
    Ayurveda texts. Explains Mooss, “In Rithucharya chapter of
    Ashtangahridaya, while describing Vasantharithucharya, Sringiverambu
    is advised for drinking. Sringiveram means ginger. Vasantham
    (Spring) is the season of vitiation of `kapha dosha.’ Hence, food
    and drinks, which alleviate `kapha’ are mentioned here,” elaborates
    Mr. Mooss.

    It is mentioned as `Anupanam’ or to be taken along with any
    Ayurvedic medicine in the various texts, says Dr. M. Sunil Kumar,
    Physician, Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, Kochi. “For example, milk,
    `jeera’ (cumin) or `malli’ (coriander) water are often prescribed as
    such. `Karingali’ (a herb) is good for diabetics and `malli’ mashed
    and put in boiled water overnight is good for morning sickness and
    nausea in pregnant women,” he explains.

    `Chukkuvellam’ is a colloquial name associated with medicated
    drinking water. Prepared from a range of herbal constituents, it
    comes in different colours, some of them being very attractive. The
    original `chukkuvellam,’ which is made by boiling water with
    `chukku’ has a turbid appearance and is slightly hot (chilli hot).
    Most other types of `chukkuvellams’ are clear water, with
    characteristic mild flavours. `Jeera’ gives a golden yellow colour,
    the herb `pathimukham’ gives an attractive pink colour, and
    `karingali’ gives a brownish colour.

    For more than a decade or so, the hotel industry in the State has
    been serving boiled water always, more so during the rainy season to
    prevent water-borne diseases. Accordingly, hotels first serve boiled
    water flavoured with some kind of `chukkuvellam’ powder available in
    the market. Hotel Dwaraka, for example, has been serving
    `chukkuvellam’ for the last decade or so. “Earlier, we used to serve
    water boiled with coriander seeds. In the rainy season, most people
    prefer medicated or boiled water. We don’t serve plain boiled water
    as most people may not like its taste,” says Jayaprakash, manager of
    the hotel. However, non-Keralites, especially the North Indians
    prefer cold water and ask for it. While, foreign tourists prefer
    mineral water and mostly demand certified brands. “Since they are
    travelling they don’t like to change their drinking water as this
    could upset their throat,” Mr. Jayaprakash adds. Manmadhan, manager
    of the Indian Coffee House, subscribes to this view: “When people
    ask for cold water or mineral water, we first explain to them that
    this is boiled and medicated water and it is being served under
    government instructions. But we have to serve what the customer
    asks. Most North Indians prefer cold, mineral or plain water. But
    the first thing on the table is medicated water only. For the last
    eight years we have been serving water boiled with `pathimukham’.”

    However, not all types of medicated water suit everybody. It depends
    on the body constitution, seasonal variations and place of
    residence. Explaining in detail, Mr. Mooss says that generally the
    purpose of `chukkuvellam’ type of processed water is to increase
    appetite, digest foods, clear abdominal discomforts etc. Hence herbs
    with opposite qualities should not be consumed. For example, in
    vitiation of `kapha’ and `vatha’ diseases, `chukku’ is good.
    `Jeeraka’ alleviates kapha and `vatha doshas,’ but vitiates `pitha
    dosha.’ `Pathimukham’ alleviates `kapha and pitha doshas.’” If one
    is selecting drinking water on the basis of Ayurvedic science, a lot
    of things have to be taken into consideration, he adds. Every
    Vaidyan’s advice is that medicated water should be taken fresh, not
    more than a day old. Dr. Sreedharan Nair emphasises this should not
    even be stored overnight. Agrees Dr. Sunil Kumar, “The very meaning
    of medicated water is that it has to be boiled for at least five
    minutes, which most people seem to ignore. `Tulasi’ or pepper water
    is good for cold and throat infections. `Panakam’ water has
    ingredients like `ramachcham,’ `iriveli’ and sandalwood, which give
    a cooling effect to the body in summer.”

    All that is available in the market as `chukkuvellam’ powder may not
    be good or made according to the instructions given in the Ayurvedic
    texts, as far as the combinations of the ingredients are concerned.
    It is said that some even add artificial colour. There seem to have
    been instances of hospitals being unable to take X-ray pictures
    because of the coating of these colours inside the body in some
    patients.

    `Chukku’ magic
    DR. NEELAKANDHAN MOOSS of Vaidyratnam Oushadashala, Thaikkattussery,
    explains some of the characteristics of `chukku’ (dried ginger),
    which is used in almost all medicinal preparations especially in
    decoctions. In Ayurveda, fresh ginger is known as `ardraka’ and
    dried ginger is known as `suntee.’ In a lot of contexts we can see
    `chukku’ as one of the ingredients along with other ingredients.
    Some examples are :

    a) Decoction of `mahabala’ root and `chukku’ checks malarial fever
    with rigor and burning sensation in two or three days (Ref:
    Bhavaprakasam)

    b) Decoction of `chukku,’ added with honey, alleviates loss of
    appetite, dyspepsia and cough (Ref: Bhavaprakasam)

    c) One should take water processed with `vacha,’ `athivisha,’
    `mustha,’ `parpata,’ `hribera’ and `chukku’ for improving appetite
    and digestion (Ref: Charakam)

    d) In case of toxicity, indigestion, piles and constipation one
    should use regularly `chukku,’ `pippali,’ `harithaki’ or `dadima’
    (Ref: Vrinda Madhavam).

    e) Decoction of `chukku’ stimulates digestive fire quickly and there
    is no need of other drugs for this purpose (Ref: Vrinda Madhavam).

    f) Water processed with `kantakari,’ `chukku’ or `dhanyaka’ should
    be given as post meal drink. It acts as carminative and laxative
    (Ref: Charakam).

    g) Taking a decoction of `chukku’ and `eranda’ root added with
    `hingu’ and `souvarchala’ gives relief from pain instantaneously.

    h) Hot decoction of `chukku’ promotes digestion, alleviates cough,
    asthma, colic and heart diseases.

    i) Boiled and cooled water processed with `bala’ or `prisniparni’ or
    `kautakari’ combined with `chukku’ should be drunk in all cases of
    alcoholism (Ref: Charakam).

    Sugar as bad by another name

    Kavita Mukhi
    Last month I was in Delhi checking out some of the newer retail
    outlets where my line of earth-friendly products will soon be
    available. Because the manager was taking me to all his retail
    points in Gurgaon, an extension of Delhi I was visiting for the
    first time, I was being politically correct by making a purchase in
    each store.

    After having bought some products I needed, I stopped to look at
    mints, sweets, licorice, chewing gum etc, strategically placed
    at `impulse’ purchase points, to see which were the healthiest ones
    I could pick up. The sales staff eagerly assured me that they were
    all `sugar-free’. Taking a closer look I discovered that they were
    indeed free of plain simple sugar. But they were replete with `white
    poison’ i.e processed sugar and substitutes which are widely
    believed to be harmless.

    Of course they aren’t, though they may be marginally better than
    pure white sugar. The same is true of a whole range
    of `healthy’, `natural’, `diet-food’, `fat-free’, `low-calorie’ food
    ingredients. I had to look very hard to find a non sugar-free
    lozenge, the good old-fashioned one. My grandparents had the good
    fortune of living with jaggery or gur, sans bleach or colour. My
    parents have had to live with white sugar, bereft of the goodness of
    gur. I am living with all kinds of chemicals infiltrating my air,
    water and food.

    Worse, they seep into the earth. It’s somewhat akin to nature’s
    revenge for trying to be one up on her. Genetically modified,
    hybrid, irradiated and pesticides-heavy foods, all contribute toward
    making us more sick than we already are with the consumption of
    refined or empty foods which fill the belly but do nothing to supply
    nutrition to body cells, which is the very purpose of eating. The
    gastronomical satisfaction of such food is its only virtue.
    Therefore the true connoisseur or gourmet is a person who is able to
    taste and appreciate wholesome food as nature intended. If you have
    tasted genuinely organic fare, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

    Because of my long and close connection with pure and safe food, an
    involvement which began with my desire to feed my family right, I
    have carefully studied the role of sugar in our lives. It’s sad to
    learn that there’s a political angle even to something as simple as
    a citizen wanting a natural sweetener. I have been advocating the
    virtues of non-chemical, non-bleached and non-coloured jaggery for
    over a decade and have prompted start-ups which produce traditional
    gur shakkar (golden sugar) from chemicals-free, earth-friendly
    sugarcane which — its health benefits apart — is easier to spoon
    into your beverage than jaggery.

    I have also been involved with the production and marketing of palm
    jaggery from Goa (coconut palm) and Kerala (fan palm). They not only
    infuse the body with instant energy but with beneficial minerals as
    well. A close runner-up is khandsari (raw sugar) which although
    nutritionally not on a par with gur is more beneficial than white
    sugar. It is free of chemicals that make up white sugar, including
    the animal bone used to process it. In effect it is `vegetarian
    sugar’. Moreover unlike white sugar, it contains some nutrients.

    To date nobody has produced raw sugar from chemicals-free, earth-
    friendly sugarcane. So you can imagine my joy when I met a group of
    people interested in doing so. But when we began discussing pricing
    I realised that such superior sugar will cost the consumer more than
    processed white sugar. And unfortunately price-sensitive Indian
    consumers tend to be unwilling to pay more for healthy products.

    So how come refined white sugar is so cheap? The main reason is that
    it’s subsidised. Which is also why a few years ago the powerful
    sugar lobby tried very hard to push through a ban on the factory
    production of jaggery. Can you imagine this? Putting a ban on a
    culinary tradition stretching back thousands of years? The headline
    of an article in the Financial Express (October 12) explains the
    situation well: “UP govt losing Rs.500 crore each year on 24 sick
    sugar mills.” So we pay a low price for a pack of sugar but
    eventually it is we who end up contributing by way of subsidies to
    sugar mills. Not to mention paying by way of ill health.

    According to reports Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, accounts
    for approximately 70 percent of all complaints to the FDA. It is
    said to be implicated in many health problems including blindness,
    headaches and convulsions. Sold under dozens of brand names such as
    NutraSweet and Equal, aspartame reportedly breaks down within 20
    minutes at room temperature into several primary toxic and dangerous
    ingredients. If this is correct you can imagine what happens to
    crates of diet colas, sugar-free gums, sugar-free medication, all
    sugar-free sweets in our tropical climate.

    For many years I have been strongly advocating the importance of
    reading `contents’ on labels, because most people merely read the
    name of the product and get duped into purchasing something value-
    less. There are many new products out there claiming to be low-
    calorie, diet food, sugar-free, healthy, low-fat, etc. If you read
    the fine print you will realise how the new substitutes are often
    worse than the old offenders.

    It boggles the mind to think of the future of children raised on
    additives, not to mention foods grown with chemical fertilisers and
    pesticides. Not enough research has been done on the ramifications
    of continuous ingestion of such foods in the long term. The solution
    of the modern world of course, will be more vaccines to cope with
    newer diseases. When that multiplies the problem, we will wonder
    what went wrong. But who will give back the years lost in emotional
    despair of the young people who constitute the majority of India’s
    population?

    (Karuppatti, Panangalkandu, Koondhapanaikalkandu, ChilluKarupatti
    etc) Palmgur, palm Jaggery Palm sugar, and Palm candy are the direct
    products obtained from processing of Palm juice (Neera).

    Palmgur is obtained by evaporation of juice (Neera) to a semi-sold
    stage. Palm sugar and Palm candy are obtained in crystal form
    prepared out of Palm syrup at the appropriate stage of
    concentration and adopting suitable crystallization techniques.
    These products are having valuable nutrients.

    ChilluKarupatti prepared from original PalmNeera along with
    DryGinger is one of the best traditional health candy product
    alternative to various sweets made of refined sugar in our southern
    state which is consumed as a supplementary with several traditional
    snack foods.

    Comment by tnv-ab — January 3, 2007 @ 6:53 am

24. Hi,

    Gur is really benifitial.
    Can someone plese tell me something more about commercial manufacturing processes / factories or some references. We are setting up a modern high capacity plant of gur.vivek.nirmal@hotmail.com

    Comment by vivek — February 3, 2007 @ 8:23 pm

25. Hi,
    I reside in San Jose,CA.
    Can u please tell me where du get these Neem Flowers

    Comment by Usha — March 5, 2007 @ 2:01 pm

26. hello,

    I reside in Sandpoint, ID (North Idaho) Can you please tell me where or how (preferably online) I can purchase Jaggery?

    Thanks!
    Emily

    Indira replies:
    Hi Emily, A lot of my friends who live in places like Idaho and Montana etc, where there aren’t many Indian shops, usually purchase from “I Shop Indian”, an online shop. Here is the link to Jaggery from their shop. If you make a purchase, do let me know about your experience with jaggery. Thanks.

    Comment by emily — March 8, 2007 @ 7:35 pm

27. I stay in Satara, Maharashtra- India.
    I want to regularly purchase ‘tadgul’ i.e. jaggery made from neera( palm tree), as it is learnt that the tadgul is verymuch bebfitial as diet suppliment specially for bones.

    Please let me know where I can get it.

    Thanks

    Comment by A P Harsule — March 10, 2007 @ 12:20 am

28. hi,

    I reside in Bangalore, India. I wanted to purchase blackstrap molasses to have it in my diet everyday. Can someone pls tell me where can i purchase it in India preferrably in Andhra Pradesh.

    Comment by Sudhistna — March 22, 2007 @ 3:36 am

29. I deperately want to know the BENGALI word for
    BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES.

    Please do help me.

    Comment by sujata — September 4, 2007 @ 6:26 am

30. In Tamilnadu, various types of Palm jaggery (Palm Candy, Palm Gur etc) are sold through Sarvodhaya shops (Khadi Gramodyog shops) run by government to promote village industries. They are good tasty and beneficial. There are Palm gurs exported from South Tamilnadu from places like Udangudi, Sattankulam and neary areas

    Comment by Raja — September 14, 2007 @ 11:39 pm

31. Is blackstrap molasses the same as palm jaggery or, at least, does palm jaggery (the dark variety) have the same nutritive benefits as blackstrap molasses. I noticed here that several commentators have asked similar questions. If blackstrap molasses is a byproduct of jaggery then where can one purchase it. I live in Mumbai and have found your blog by doing a search for jaggery.

    Comment by Jennifer — November 26, 2007 @ 10:40 pm

32. hi, wonderful ,ur way of telling in a simple way is very simple, keep it up , after 60 years i came to know that
    why sugar is not used in “NAIVADYAM’ thank u very much
    dr manyam, maldives

    Comment by dr manyam — December 3, 2007 @ 11:33 pm

33. is there a container were jagerry will come out in a crushed form because we have two break with hammer

    Comment by prachi — January 2, 2008 @ 9:08 am

34. Every day I have naval pain sometimes not much
    there are times severe pain depends what I eat.
    At first my doctor told I have Colon cancer,
    after test I found out that I have Inflamation
    like a thumb size wound in my naval area.
    Please can you advise me what I should take or hebal medicine to overcome this pain, please if you can Email to me whenever you get a chance,
    JudeM@rogers.com Can you help? Love Jude

    Comment by jude Mascarenhas — March 2, 2008 @ 4:33 pm

35. Jude, you could try giving up milk, sugar (use jaggery instead) and non-veg for some time till the wound heals. If that doesn’t help, you’d better see a doctor.

    Comment by Jennifer — March 22, 2008 @ 5:41 am

36. Hello,
    My husband is very anti-sugar but loves my baking. We have a 1.5 yr old daughter and he does not want her to have any sugar. He brought home some Jaggery from the local Indian shop, thinking it was date sugar and asked me to google it. We were pleased to learn all of the health benefits of Jaggery and I now use it in all my baking instead of sugar (I carve some off and chop it fine and use less then the required amount of sugar in my recipes). It is delicious, especially in the banana bread I made yesterday. Thanks for your information!
    Ann

    Comment by Ann — April 1, 2008 @ 12:56 pm

37. Answer to What is blackstrap molasses

    Link below

    http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/molasses.html

    Comment by Manish — April 3, 2008 @ 8:46 am

38. Just saw this website. Great site. Thanks

    Comment by TT — April 14, 2008 @ 12:35 pm

39. So, blackstrap molasses means karuppathi the Jaggery and it can cure grey hair?

    Comment by Anu, Malaysia — January 28, 2009 @ 10:48 pm

40. iam using chukku kapi regularly its avilable in instant form in market named as ” Rajam Sukku Kapi “. really fine & good.

    Comment by murali — June 2, 2009 @ 5:39 am

41. Interesting site with contributions from persons originating from various parts of India. Huge amount of info readily available on all topics around the world through google search;

    Comment-

    Blackstrap molasses is waste product of refined cane sugar production. it comes with slightly sweet to bitter variety depending on remnant sugar. Karupatti however is from neera, the sweet sap of palmyra flower and produced at cottage level where palm trees are abundant. Neera when fermented becomes “Toddy” and when allowed to stand over extended time becomes vinegar retaining all original nutrients (in fact there is increase of nutrients)with all alcohol converting to vengar. I presume Ayurveda’s range of Arishtams are venegars containing extracts of various herbs. You can have jaggery from date palm sap (popular in W. Bengal), Palmyra palm sap,coconut palm sap apart from sugarcane juice. The constituents greatly vary from white sugar which is no where natural and is poison compared to palmyra jaggery which has half the glycemic index of white sugar apart from a lot of minerals -see comparison -http://www.sweet-tree.biz/ (extracts below);

    Macro-nutrients (mg / l - ppm, dry) Coconut Palm Sugar Brown Sugar Refined, White Sugar
    Nitrogen (N) 2,020 100 0
    Phosphorus (P) 790 30 0.7
    Potassium (K) 10,300 650 25
    Calcium (Ca) 60 240 60
    Magnesium (Mg) 290 70 10
    Sodium (Na) 450 20 10
    Chlorine (Cl) 4,700 180 100
    Sulfur (S) 260 130 20
    Boron (B) 6 0 0
    Zinc (Zn) 21 2 1.2
    Manganese (Mn) 1 2 0
    Iron (Fe) 22 0.6 0.6
    Copper (Cu) 2 12.6 1.2
    Source: COMPARISON OF THE ELEMENTAL CONTENT OF 3 SOURCES OF EDIBLE SUGAR - Analyzed by PCA-TAL, Sept. 11, 2000. (MI Secretaria et al, 2003) in parts per million (ppm or mg/li)
    Health Attributes of Palm Sugar Nutrients:
    Macro-nutrients Health benefits provided by these nutrients
    Nitrogen (N) help treat cardiovascular diseases
    Phosphorus (P) important for bone growth, kidney functions and and cell growth
    Potassium (K) reduces hypertension, helps regulate blood sugar, helps control cholesterol levels and weight
    Calcium (Ca) vital for strong bone and teeth, and for muscle growth
    Magnesium (Mg) essential for metabolism, nerves and stimulates the brain (memory)
    Sodium (Na) plays a key role in the functioning of nerves and muscles
    Chlorine (Cl) corrects the pressure of body fluids and balance the nervous system
    Sulfur (S) important for healthy hair, skin and nails, also helps maintain oxygen balance for proper brain function.
    Boron (B) essential for healthy bone and joint function, enhances body’s ability to absorb calcium and magnesium
    Zinc (Zn) called the “nutrient of intelligence” is necessary for mental development
    Manganese (Mn) has antioxidant, free-radical-fighting properties, is important for proper food digestion and for normal bone structure
    Iron (Fe) vital for the quality of blood, mental development and the immune system
    Copper (Cu) helps to release energy, helps in melanin production in the skin, helps in the production of red blood cells and aid in the absorption and transport of iron.
    (Back to top)

    All the above benefits are available only when you source jaggery which has been least processed even if it contains sand or vegetable waste. If you allow any one to process it as a commecial product the benefts will be lost both due to so called industrial processes and greed of profit. of late i have come across articles praising benefits of consuming vegetables and fruites with minimal cleaning to take advantage the benefits of nutrients in root systems and in the skin. of course the vegetables and fruites are organically grown and donot contain high toxic loads of inorganic fertilizers, insecticides etc. In fact jaggery is regularly given to workers in under ground mines or where airborn particle pollution is high and one has opinion on a few grains of sand. it is this attitude the indudtry and trade has exploited with active support of pharma companies and medical production to implant a false sense of cleanliness and purity. It is time people should boycot all processed and packed food items including milk, sugar, flour, milled & polished cereals pulses and consume fresh locally produced vegetables and fruits.

    Comment by V.Krishnan — September 30, 2009 @ 10:17 am

42. I produce jaggery and have been strugging to clean impurities as much as possible.Particularly soil particles and crushed cane peaces.At least this re-assues me that my product is of quality

    Comment by Robbesther Wasike — December 17, 2009 @ 3:59 pm

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