Jaggery a natural sweetener made from concentrated sugar. It is also known as unrefined sugar, which is prepared without the separation of molasses and crystals and is mostly produced in India and Africa. The color of the gur ranges from golden brown to dark brown.
It is an unrefined form of sugar it has aroma and flavor are evocative of caramel and butterscotch due to its molasses content. Jaggery lasts for a long time without refrigerating. Jaggery is commonly made from sugarcane, the process follows only three steps to prepare it. These are extraction, clarification, and concentration.
In Indian jaggery is popularly known as ‘gur’. Gur is chocolate for Indians here jaggery is eaten after the meal to digest the food. Often they are used in many sweets instead of sugar. Winter the best time for jaggery it has an array of sweets that made from jaggery during winters and it good for health.
History
India is a country that invented jaggery. It was a delicacy that was cherished and valued very highly. The word comes from the Portuguese word jagara. India produces many types of jaggery, extracted from sugarcane and different kinds of palms, and made in various styles. Usually, two types of jaggery are known that are light brown color and dark brown. Nowadays, even the sap of Sago palm and coconut palm are used to make jaggery
Jaggery contains carbohydrate and sugar content and is free from any chemical processing. It is a healthier more nutritious form of sugar. Ensure moderate consumption daily to attain its various health benefits.
Health Benefits
- Detoxifying The Liver: It is a natural body cleanser, further reducing the workload of the liver. Jaggery helps cleanse the liver by flushing out harmful toxins from the body, which further helps detoxify the liver.
- Purifying The Blood: It can purify the blood and thus improving your overall health. Purified blood in the body means healthier you, and thus a better ability to fight infections and diseases.
- Boost Immunity: It is loaded with antioxidants and minerals such as zinc and selenium, which in turn help prevent free-radical damage and also boost resistance against infections. Jaggery also helps increase the total count of hemoglobin in the blood.
- Preventing Respiratory Issues: It prevents many respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, etc. Experts recommend eating this natural sweetener with sesame seeds for wonderful benefits for the respiratory system.
- Weight Loss: It has a rich source of potassium, which is a mineral that helps in the balance of electrolytes as well as building muscles and boosting metabolism. Potassium also helps in the reduction of water retention, which helps in managing your weight.
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Common Uses
It can be used as an all-purpose sweetener like any other form of sugar. Crumble it for use in oatmeal or to take the place of brown sugar in any recipe. The traditional uses for it include til gur ladoo, an Indian dessert that involves combining jaggery sugar with sesame seeds. It is also used as a sweetener for kheer, an Indian rice pudding. It can be eaten like this as a sweet because it has solids that need to be cut from a sharp knife or gentle tapping with a hammer.
Childhood Memory
The earliest memory I have of my grandmother is her hands. The skin lucent against the lazy winter afternoon sunshine, as her soft, dark fingers. She would pull out little lumps from an amber – colored mound of grated coconut, cooked in gur and gently, lovingly, shape them into delicious balls of sweet delight.
She loved to sit and work on the threshold of the door to the terrace, where the sunlight tipped over its warm golden light on her. Her skin would then take on the color of gur , a dark, rich honey color. The arrival of gur sellers marks the advent of winters. The scent of gur would rose people from their sleep and they would awaken to find sweetness. That scent lingered in our home.