JAGGERY: A Nutritious Sweetener
Jaggery or “Gur” is a traditional, unrefined, wholesome sugar . In India , Jaggery is a traditional product of sugarcane. It can be defined as a honey brown coloured raw lump. Jaggery is made in a natural way and during its processing it does not loose its original properties. It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice. This crowns it as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world.
In India, Maharashtra is the largest producer of jaggery. Jaggery production is on a huge scale in Kolhapur and is the biggest hub in this area. The firm supplies different kinds of jaggery to its clients and is available in 500gms, 1kg, 2kg, 5kg, 10kg & 30kg blocks. Kolhapur produced jaggery is known for its rich taste, colour and molecular structure offering better shelf life so is world renowned for household consumption.
How is Jaggery Manufactured?
- The process of manufacturing jaggery involves crushing sugarcane using a crusher and extracting juice out of it.
- The sugar cane juice is then poured in a large shallow but thick iron vessels / pan and made to boil over earthen ovens. It is continuously stirred using large ladles to avoid sticking at the bottom of the vessel.
- This boiling and stirring goes on for hours until most of the water from the juice is vapourised and the juice starts to thicken, as the concentration of sugar increases in it.
- Slowly it becomes super saturated and assumes a golden to golden brown thick paste form.
- Now, this needs a lot of experience to decide the right moment when the jaggery is done, because any under doing or over doing may ruin the taste.
- It is then poured into small to medium sized iron or aluminum cans where blocks of jaggery are formed after cooling. Size of the blocks can vary from 1 kg. to 10kgs. Finally, these blocks are packed.
- From 100 kgs. of sugarcane, 10 kgs of jaggery is made.
Uses of Jaggery
- Jaggery can be used to replace sugar in cooking, baking, flavoring, and sweetening food and drinks.
- Jaggery can be used to make traditional sweet dishes like karadantu, godhi huggi, chikki, gazak, payasam, etc. These are popular in India and other parts of Asia.
- Jaggery can be used as a natural remedy for cough and sore throat. It has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that can soothe the irritation and infection in the respiratory tract.
- Jaggery can be used as a substitute for honey in some recipes. It has a similar sweetness and viscosity, but it also adds some minerals and antioxidants to the dish.
- Jaggery can be used as a natural cleanser for the skin. It can remove dirt, oil, and impurities from the pores and improve the complexion. It can also treat acne, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions.